EDUCATION IN KOSOVO AMONG 1877-1912 ACCORDING TO THE PRIME MINISTRY OTTOMAN ARCHIVES

The Turks who always placed a great emphasis on education have opened up schools and Madrasas during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the lands they explored and they also supported various campaigns of education. Among the dates 1877-1912 the Ottomans have endeavoured to modernize the education system despite difficult conditions of that period. Soon after Albania became an Ottoman territory, Kosovo was the pilot region for the modern education service of the government. As the Ottoman government endeavoured to increase the quality of education on one side, on the other, they have tried to increase the awareness of identity among the Albanians in order to prevent possible assimilation. There exist relevant records in the Republic of Turkey, the Prime ministry Ottoman Archives. Some 911 documents related to this subject have been detected in the archives. Based on those records kept among 1877-1912, the government actions and activities concerning education services have been examined and outlined. The education practices and institutions opened in six Ottoman provinces and their districts and their functioning is the theme of this work.