Today in History – 17 July

The Council of Education convenes

Appointed as Minister of Education in the council of ministers formed by Celal Bayar in 1938, Hasan Âli Yücel had begun making educational reforms in Kemalist principle through the support İnönü. One of Hasan Âli Yücel’s most important achievements in national education was convening the First Council of Education on July 17-29, 1939.

The Council held its first meeting on July 17, 1939 at the İsmet Pasha Institute for Girls in Ankara. 138 members -52 full and 86 advisory- participated in the meeting. The agenda primarily focused on the education plans and principles, as well as the new curricula of the Republic.

In his opening address, Minister of National Education Hasan Âli Yücel stressed the precautions to be taken to eradicate illiteracy in the nation. According to Yücel, cities had taken important steps towards improving primary education. However, things were different in the villages. With 32 out of 40 thousand having a population of less than 400, the distance between villages and the challenging conditions of life had made it impossible to resolve primary education issues in rural areas through classic methods.

According to Hasan Âli Yücel, the solution was to educate village children in institutions that would cater to rural needs and train them as teachers for village schools. The First Council of Education is thus of historic importance for paving the way of “Village Institutes.”