The primary schools (sibyans) in Ottoman Cyprus during the Tanzimat reform era (1839–1878)

Abstract

The nineteenth century is a century of reform for the Ottoman state. The Tanzimat reforms hold a unique place in the Ottoman history of modernization. During the Tanzimat period (1839–1878), the state underwent a restructuring process in almost all of its institutions to establish a centralized modern state and many new institutions were established. The Ottomans paid special attention to education to train the new generation required for the continuity of modernization and the centralized bureaucratic structure. While they opened modern high schools and higher education institutions, they attempted to reform the existing sibyan schools, which were the primary education institutions. This process of restructuring education was also carried out in Cyprus, which had been an Ottoman island since 1571. These attempts remained restricted to efforts to increase the number of sibyan schools in Cyprus. There was a failure to replace the religious education given at schools with a secular program, curriculum or modern education system based on education management. This situation also adversely affected the quality of education at the Rustiye School in Nicosia, the first and only modern secondary school of the period and which was opened in Nicosia in 1864.