Erken Cumhuriyet Döneminde Köy Okullarında Beden Terbiyesi Dersi (1923-1950)

Abstract

The Republic of Turkey focused on villages and villagers and made various efforts for their prosperity. One of those efforts was revising the curriculum of village schools. The curriculum of village schools did not have a physical training course (gymnastics) in the past. However, the Republic of Turkey added it to the curriculum as a separate course. Students did physical training with music for 20 minutes in the morning. However, they did rather simple warm-up exercises because the lesson was too short and therefore unproductive. In contrast, schools focused on agriculture and handicraft courses, which were more suited to village life. The two important sources of the content of the physical training courses (gymnastics) in village schools were written by Selim Sırrı (Tarcan), a prominent name in Turkish sports, and the other by Fuat Pura, a physical training teacher. However, they rather focused on different issues. The physical training course in village schools never reached its goal.