Abstract
An Analysis of the Views of Ahmed Cevdet Pasha on Education in the Context of His Book Tezâkîr
The XIX. century is an era in which significant developments for the Ottoman State were experienced. The reconstruction efforts, which started during the reign of Selim III, continued with an increasing momentum throughout the XIX. century. In the modernization efforts to compensate for the lost provinces, and to save the country from collapsing through reconstructing the state, education was given priority in line with the nature of the process. New educational institutions were opened by following the Western examples in order to train the qualified people that the state needed. 1845 onwards, Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, who is known for his historian and, jurist identities, worked in education bureaucracy as a teacher, school principal, minister of education, textbook author and academy member along with his other duties during the reconstruction period of the Ottoman State. While performing these duties, he contributed to education reforms directly or indirectly. The work of Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, who was both the witness and the actor of the period, Tezakir, which he wrote to relate his experiences throughout his school life and public works, presents original information which is not found in other sources. The approaches brought to the solution of educational problems and reconstruction projects in education by Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, who supported the opening of modern education institutions in the Ottoman State, though he was of Madrassah origin and a member of religious scholars, on condition that certain principles and cultural elements are observed, are also guiding in terms of solutions to today’s educational problems.
Keywords
Tezâkir, Education Reform, Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, Modern Education