In this section of Anadolu Agency's "Centuries-Old Schools" file, the educational adventure of Bursa Boys' High School, which has been preparing students for the future for more than a century, was discussed.
Following the Maarif-i Umumiye Nizamnamesi published in 1869 for the restructuring of education in the Ottoman Empire, the school was opened as Mekteb-i İdadi-i Mülki on 3 August 1885, in Veli Şemseddin District, Akif Pasha Mansion, within the scope of the plan to open a sultani in each province.
The school, which had its first graduates with 5 students in 1889, was named Mekteb-i Sultani in the 1910-1911 academic year, was named Bursa High School in the 1923-1924 academic year, and was named Bursa Boys' High School in 1926.
Although some of the works in the museum, which was opened within the school in 1904 under the name of Museum-i Hümayun, were moved to Yeşil Medrese in 1926, the educational heritage from the Ottoman period to the present is kept alive in the museum, which still exists in the school.
Among the exhibits in the museum, which bears traces of the institution's past, are textbooks used during the Ottoman period, technical equipment, old records and typewriters, old diplomas and graduation certificates, as well as the first edition of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's "Speech" dated 1927, published in Ottoman Turkish.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited the school
Students educated at the school, where important names such as Reşat Nuri Güntekin, Orhan Şaik Gökyay, Kazım Baykal, Ziya Samar, Süleyman Nazif taught, took on important roles in thought, science, art, politics and social life.
While there are busts of important people who taught at the school, as well as the Atatürk bust built in 1960, in the school garden, it is known that Sait Faik Abasıyanık wrote his first story, "Silk Handkerchief", as a literature course assignment when he was a student at Bursa Boys' High School.
The honor book, created by Sami Bey, the principal of Bursa Sultani School in 1912-1913, for visitors to the school to write down their feelings and thoughts, contains the handwritings and signatures of many important local and foreign people, especially Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
In his honorary notebook, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wrote "I will always be pleased with the precious memory of the hours we spent in Bursa Sultanisi" during his school visit on January 23, 1923. The statement is included.
The school maintains its tradition with its rectangular courtyard, wooden stairs on both sides of the entrance, large windows, high-ceilinged architecture, two-storey historical building, pilaf days and alumni commemorative tables consisting of photographs of graduates and teachers every year.
The institution has been providing education as "Anatolian High School" since 2005 and as "Project School" since 2018.
Library with 15 thousand books
School principal Şahin Boztepe told the AA correspondent that the school, which has given thousands of graduates throughout history, is an institution that trains successful people in science, politics, industry, commerce, art and theater in every field.
Describing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's visit to the school, Boztepe said, "He learned that his teacher Nevres Bey was working at Bursa Boys' High School and came to visit our school in 1923. He came to Nevres Bey's classroom, listened to his lecture and addressed the students after the lesson. Therefore, this is one of the great achievements of Bursa." he said.
Boztepe stated that the school continues education with 480 students and 44 teachers this year and said:
"Our school, which has 32 classrooms, provides services with its hostel, gym, conference halls and laboratories. It is an academic high school, it recruits students to universities. It is a project school. We create nearly 400-500 projects every year. It is one of the leading schools in national and international competitions. We have first places in the world as well as first places in Türkiye."
Stating that the deep-rooted and extensive archive at the school has been transferred to digital and that there are approximately 15 thousand books in its rich library, Boztepe stated that the library is at the service of both the public and the students.
Boztepe also touched upon the museum in the school and stated that some works brought from historical schools in the city were added to the museum, and that they presented a cultural treasure here called the Bursa Provincial National Education Museum.
