The Conditions that Enabled the Foundation of the Village Institutes in Turkey and a Comparison with Today

Abstract

In the 1930s, village institutes were established as an extension of means of village movement. The aim of the establishment was to bring the peasants in the regime and to teach them modern agricultural techniques. Given that 80% of the population lived in villages, it can be understood why the education of the peasants and the development of agriculture was seen as one of the urgent needs at the time. In the village institutes, “in-the-job training” approach was adopted, which was a product of Ismail Hakki Tonguc's views on education. This means that students were not only being limited with the education theories, but they also had the chance to apply what they learn. Village institutes were closed after a little while. In particular, two elements had an impact on this; firstly, the village institutes were labelled as being “communist housings” during the Cold War period, and secondly, the multi-party system was introduced in Turkey. The village institutes period is a distinctive period in the Turkish education history, and this experience is still largely focused upon through discussions about education. This study aims to set forth the establishment environment and functioning of the village institutes and discuss their practicability. The demographic features of Turkey, and its economy being shifted from agriculture to industry (including service industry) makes the village institutes model inapplicable in today's conditions. However, the arguments that led to the closure of the village institutes are still discussed widely.