Osmanlı Modernleşme Çabalarının Giresun İzdüşümleri: Rüştiye Mektepleri

Until the 18th century, the Islamic civilization that established order in the world began to gradually lose its influence thereafter. The Crusades enabled the West to carry the scientific advancements of the Islamic world back to their own territories, acting as a catalyst for reform and Renaissance movements. This progression continued with the Industrial Revolution, which also impacted the Ottoman Empire. In response to psychological inferiority stemming from territorial losses, the Ottomans believed that military innovations could be acquired from the West, prompting them to send students to Europe for education. Alongside this military modernization initiative, it was decided to establish new modern schools to train qualified civil servants for the Babıali bureaucracy, instead of relying solely on traditional medreses. The first modern rüşdiye school was established in Istanbul in 1847. Rüşdiye schools admitted students of certain ages who had completed primary education (sıbyan mektebleri). These schools were subsequently opened in the Karahisâr-ı Şarkî province in 1864, in Giresun in 1871, and later in Bulancak, Tirebolu, Görele, and Alucra. Efforts to establish the Giresun İnâs (Girls) rüşdiye school were unsuccessful. Graduates from these schools continued their education at the higher-level institutions, specifically the İdâdî of Karahisâr-ı Şarkî and Giresun. The curricula and vacation schedules of these schools were aligned with centralized policies. Evaluations and rewards for students and teachers were conducted by the relevant authorities. Most of the instructors were former medrese teachers who had graduated from the Dârülmuallimîn school. During the Ottoman-Russian War, some school buildings were repurposed for military use. Delegations from Giresun attending the Erzurum Congress were composed of graduates from these modern schools.