BULGAR EKSARHLIĞININ KONTROL VE İDARESİNDEKİ BULGAR OKULLARININ GELİŞİMİ (1895-1896 EĞİTİM VE ÖĞRETİM YILI)

This study aims to present the numerical situation of the Bulgarian schools in Macedonia (Vilâyât-ı Selâse), Edirne-Thrace and Istanbul, which were under the surveillance and administration of the Bulgarian Exarchate, in the light of data for the academic year 1895-1896. This academic year was chosen because it coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Bulgarian Exarchate, which was decided to be established on March 11, 1870. In this study, the expansion of Bulgarian schools is presented in comparison with the data prior to the school year 1895-1896. Thus, the quantitative development of Bulgarian education under the control of a religious institution subordinate to the Ottoman Empire for a quarter of a century will be clearly visible. The Bulgarian Exarchate had two main policies, one religious and the other modern educational. The education of Bulgarians living in the Ottoman Empire was under the authority of the Bulgarian Exarchate. In general, this education was provided in the form of primary, classical, spiritual, high school, pedagogical and professional schools. There are also other schools that provide other types of education. Every village and town in the Bulgarian Exarchate with more than 500 households has a primary school.The subject of this article is the statistical data on Bulgarian schools, prepared as a result of field research conducted by the Bulgarian Exarchate and published in books and newspapers. There are two main sources for this study. The first is the newspaper Novini, which is the mouthpiece of the Bulgarian Exarchate. The other is the studies published by the Bulgarian Statistical Institute. It can be said that the publication of this data showing the number of schools, students and teachers, especially in the Istanbul-based newspaper Novini, had two main purposes. The first one is to create a public opinion that could benefit the Bulgarians by giving a clear message on the issue of education. The other is the desire to support the growing nationalism, which was intensifying in Macedonia and Edirne-Thrace at the time, in favor of the Bulgarians.