Educational facilities

With the adoption of Tanzimat Fermanı, also known as the Edict of Gülhane in 1839, the Tanzimât period of reforms in the Ottoman Empire began. With this act, the differences between the Muslims and the non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire were formally annulled and all citizens became equal before the law. The Ottoman Empire faced a tumultuous future, followed by many reforms, including those in the education. Until then, education was mainly provided in mosques, in the religious educational institutions - kuttabs and madrassas. Numerous primary schools were soon opened, and students were required to continue their education after finishing the educational process in the medres. A Ministry of Education was established in 1857, but the implementation of the reforms began 1863, mainly in Istanbul. New educational reforms were introduced in 1869, establishing a 4-year education for boys aged 6 to 10 years and for girls aged 7 to 11. In addition, schools were to be built in every village and city, although this provision remained only on paper. In 1876 the primary education was regulated by law. There were two types of primary schools mektep i sibiyanie- traditional primary school and mektep i iptidaiye - modern primary school. The Ministry of Education revoked this division in 1882, and the moderns schools became the only exciting ones in 1908. The craft schools - ıslahhâne, served as an orphanage, since most of the students were recruited from that environment. Every educational institution was differentiated by gender, so there were special women's and men's schools. Upon completion of these schools, students were able to access higher education, including the University of Istanbul, established in 1863, or other various civil and military academies.