The Union of Primary School Teachers (1919-1925)

Abstract

The adoption and institutionalisation of modern education systems in the Ottoman Empire led to a transformation of the teaching profession, which gradually moved away from its traditional structure and evolved into a status group in the Weberian sense. This transformation brought with it a range of problems related to the legal rights, professional status, working conditions, and public recognition of teachers. Following the Second Constitutional Era, teachers began forming unions to protect their rights, express their demands collectively, and assert their social standing.

This study examines one such early example of professional organisation, the Mekâtib-i İbtidâîye Muallimleri Cemiyeti, established during the late Ottoman period. No comprehensive research has been conducted on this union and its activities to date. Using document analysis, the study explores the union’s foundation, activities and dissolution based on its regulation, archival documents, newspapers and journals of the period. In addition, by presenting the transcription of the union’s regulation, which are currently not available in library catalogues, it aims to contribute to the literature on the history of education.

The findings show that the union aimed to address issues such as irregular salaries, demanding working conditions, professional rights, improvements in primary education and the reinforcement of professional solidarity and prestige among teachers. Through congresses, meetings and public events, the union acted in an organised manner to respond to shortcomings in the educational system. The union, which was dissolved in 1925 through its merger with the Türkiye Muallimler Birliği, represents a distinctive example of professional organisation during the transition from Empire to Republic.