The first ministry in the area of education was established on March 17th 1857, named the Ministry of General Education of the Ottoman Empire. The institution, which was the first education organization at the level of a ministry, was directed by a minister included in the Council of Ministers. The first minister of education in the Ministry was Abdurrahman Sami Paşa (1857-1861) and the first undersecretary was a scientist named Hayrullah Efendi.

* Some of the ministers of education in the government of Turkish Republic are as follows * 1922-1924 İsmail Safa Özler
* 1924-1929 Vasıf Çınar
* 1925-1929 Mustafa Necati
* 1932-1933 Dr. Reşit Galip
* 1935-1938 Saffet Arıkan
* 1938-1946 Hasan Ali Yücel

AKYÜ;Z, Yahya, Türk Eðitim Tarihi (History of Turkish Education), Istanbul 2001

Since 1857 to our day, the Ministry has been organized under several titles and since 1989 it has been working under the name of "Ministry of National Education".

The organization of Education *
The Education organization includes the public works and procedures that ensure the management, organization, planning, inspection, development, financing and operation of education and educational institutions and organizations.

* Willman Institut
Munich, Herder, 1977, Germany

The former Minister of Education Hikmet Uluðbay and the current Minister of Education Metin Bostancıoğlulu have implemented the eight years of uninterrupted compulsory education which is one of the biggest reforms in the Turkish education system.

Main service units;

are the units in the central organization that make decisions on education, training and administrative issues.

The structure, organization and departments of all education-related state organizations and institutions make up the content of the concept of the education organization. The organization of the Ministry of National Education includes units vertically organized according to school types and levels.

There is a directorate of national education in every city except in the central city, and a directorate of national education in every town except in the central town. District directorates of national education are responsible towards provincial directorates of national education for their duties and services.

"The country must be modern, civilized and renewed. For us, this is a matter of life or death. The results of all our sacrifices depend on this achievement."
M.K. Atatürk

"........ Our objective in education is to raise citizens who shall exalt the civilized and social value and increase the economical strength of the national society."
M. K. Atatürk

1. AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION
With the General Education Regulations in 1869, a Grand Education Assembly was established in the headquarters consisting of two offices, namely a scientific and an administrative one, chaired by the Ministry of Education, and at the provincial level as a branch and executive office of this assembly was established an educational assembly, chaired by the director of education. In 1872, the two offices of the Grand Education Assembly were joined to become a single assembly. In 1879, the Ministry headquarters was arranged into offices for each level of education and continue to operate on this basis in the Republic period. Table 1 shows the organization of offices in the Ministry of Education before and after the Constitutional Monarchy.

Table 1. Organization of the Ministry of Public Education

After 1910, a Higher Education Office and a Libraries Inspection Office were established. During the War of National Liberation, there were two ministries of education.
The Ministry of Education of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was in Ankara, the Ministry of Education of the Ottoman Government in Istanbul. After the Turkish Grand National Assemblywas opened on April 23rd 1920, with the government Law dated May 2nd 1920 no 3, a "Ministry of Education" was established as one of the eleven ministries working under the Council of Ministers. In 1920 the Ministry of Education consisted of the following five units;

1. The Program Committee
2. Department of Primary Education
3. Department of Secondary Education
4. Office of Turkish Antiquities
5. Registry and Statistics Office
In 1923, the Ministry of Education in Istanbul was closed and the Ministry of Education in Ankara was expanded and reorganized to include eleven units. The provincial organization was also arranged in education directorates and education offices.

In the Republican period, organization of the Ministry of Education gradually developed and was reorganized with the Law no 2287 issued in 1933. New units were incorporated into the Ministry of Education with Laws nos. 2773 in 1935, 3225 in 1937, and 4113 in 1941, the organization was further expanded and made into two under secretariats. After the Culture Undersecretariate was established in 1965, the Ministry started to be directed by three undersecretaries and the organization was arranged as such, and in 1980 a restructuring was effected in line with the developments.

In 1983, when the education services were joined with the youth and sports services, the organization was rearranged with the name of "the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports". However, on March 2nd 1989 with the decree in the force of law no 356, youth and sport services were excluded from the national education services and the organization assumed its current form with the Laws no 3797 and 4359.

The Ministry of National Education; has been organized under the following names:

- "The Ministry of Education" from 1923 to December 27th 1935,
- "The Ministry of Culture" from December 28th 1935 to September 21st 1941,
- "The Ministry of Education" from September 22nd 1941 to October 9th 1946,
- "The Ministry of National Education" after October 10th 1946,
- "The Ministry of Education" after 1950,
- "The Ministry of National Education" after May 27th 1960,
- "The Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports" after 1983,
- "The Ministry of National Education" after 1989.

1. AKYÜ;Z, Yahya, Türk Eðitim Tarihi (History of Turkish Education), Istanbul 2001
2. SORGUÇ Bahir, Cumhuriyetin 70. yılında Milli Eðitim (National Education in the 70th Year of Republic), Ankara 1995
3. Cumhuriyetten Günümüze Sayısal Gelişmeler (Numerical Developments from the Establishment of Republic To Date) (MEB-APK) 1988
4. The Law no 3797 on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of National Education

2. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION

As per Law no. 3797 on the organization and duties of the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry today consists of four divisions called;

The Ministry of National Education has provincial organizations in 81 cities and 850 towns, 58 of them being the central towns of metropolitan cities. The Ministry of National Education has representation offices in 22 countries with 21 education undersecretaries and 17 education attaches.

2.1. CENTRAL ORGANISATION
The office of the Ministry consists of the Training Council, main service units, counseling and inspection units and auxiliary units. Chairmanship of the Occupational and Technical Training Research and Development Center and Chairmanship of the Project Coordination Board Center are also included in the central organization.
2.1.1. Ministry Office
1. Minister
2. Undersecretary
3. Deputy Undersecretaries

The Minister is responsible for executing the services of the Ministry in compliance with the legislation, the government's general policy, the national security policy, development plans and annual programs, and for establishing cooperation and coordination with the other ministries and institutions on subjects in activity areas of the Ministry.

The Undersecretary is the assistant of Minister and is responsible for working on behalf of the Minister to organize and execute the services of the Ministry in line with the goals and policies of the Ministry, development plans, annual programs and legislative provisions.
Five deputy undersecretaries are appointed to assist the Undersecretary in the execution of his services.

2.1.2. Board of Education and Discipline
Board of Education and Discipline is a decision-making unit directly reporting to the minister. It helps the minister in almost every education-related matter, expresses opinions, undertakes researches or has others do researches on education(al) problems.

2.1.3. Main Service Units
01. General Directorate of Pre-primary Education
02. General Directorate of Primary Education
03. General Directorate Secondary Education
04. General Directorate of Technical Education for Boys
05. General Directorate of Technical Education for Girls
06. General Directorate of Trade and Tourism Education
07. General Directorate of Teacher Training and Education
08. General Directorate of Religious Education
09. General Directorate of Apprenticeship and Non-formal Education
10. General Directorate of Higher Education
11. General Directorate of Foreign Relations
12. General Directorate of Education-Training Abroad
13. General Directorate of Special education Institutions
14. General Directorate of Special education Guidance and Advisory Services
15. General Directorate of Educational Technologies
16. Chairmanship of In-school Physical Education, Sports and Scouting Office

2.1.4. Advisory and Supervisory Units
01. Board of Inspection
02. Research, Planning and Coordination Board
03. Legal Advisor's Office
04. Ministry Advisor's Office
5. Press and Public Relations Advisor's Office

2.1.5. Auxiliary Units
01. General Directorate of Personnel
02. Department of Publication
03. Department of In-service Training
04. Department of Administrative Financial Affairs
05. Department of Teacher Services and Social Works
06. Department of Operations
07. Department of Capital expenses and Installations
08. Department of Education Tools and Equipment
09. Department of Health Affairs
10. Department of Secondary Education Scholarship and Dormitories
11. Department of Education Research and Development
12. Department of Apprenticeship Vocational and Technical Education Development and Expansion
13. Defense Secretary
14. Private Office Directorate

2.1.6. Permanent Councils
1. National Education Council
2. Council of Directors
3. Council of Vocational Education
4. Student Discipline Councils
5. Special Qualification Commissions

2.2. PROVINCIAL ORGANISATION

NUMERICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE PERSONNEL WORKING IN THE CENTRAL ORGANISATION OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION (01.10.2001)

RESOURCE: Research, Planning and Coordination Board
(*) Includes the number of primary education inspectors and assistant inspectors

3. DUTIES OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION

As of the Law of Combination of Instruction no 430, the Ministry of National Education is commissioned with the duty of realizing on behalf of the government the goals of the Turkish National Education in line with the basic principles.

1. To plan, program, execute, monitor and control education and training services targeted at teachers and students in the educational institutions at all levels working under the Ministry with the objective of raising individuals who are committed to Atatürk's principles, revolutions and the Atatürk Nationalism defined in the Constitution of Turkish Republic, who assimilate, protect, develop the national, ethical, spiritual, historical and cultural values of the Turkish nation, who love and always try to raise their family, country and nation, who are aware of their duties and responsibilities towards the Turkish Republic, a democratic, secular and social state of law based on human rights and the basic principles defined at the beginning of the Constitution, and for whom these duties have become a habit.

2. To open pre-primary , primary, secondary and all kinds of formal and non-formal education institutions and to give authorization to other ministries, institutions and organizations to open education institutions other than higher education

3. To organize and execute the education and training services abroad for Turkish citizens

4. To define the degree of equality for and to prepare and approve the program and regulations of formal and non-formal education institutions, other than higher education, opened by other ministries, institutions and organizations

5. To establish cooperation in defining the programs, regulations and degrees of educational equality of the secondary education institutions working under the Turkish Armed Forces.

6. To arrange for the duties and responsibilities given by the Law of Higher Education to the Ministry to ensure that higher education is executed within the framework of national education policy.

7. To arrange for physical education, sports and scouting training services in the schools

8. To meet the accommodation and nutrition requirements of and to give financial support to the youths in higher education.

ORGANISATION CHART OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION

THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ORGANISATION ABROAD

THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION

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Ministry Of National Education
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