School marks centenary with pioneering legacy

Zülal Atagün- İZMİR

The İzmir Girls' High School, one of the first educational institutions in the history of the Turkish Republic, is commemorating the centenary with a deep sense of reverence attributed to both two visits from the nation’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and numerous pioneering alumnae who have significantly shaped the role of women and led the charge in societal progress of females in the newly established country.

Amidst Atatürk's unflagging commitment to education, elevating women's participation in society with outstanding professions and roles was a paramount priority in the newly established Turkish Republic, after six centuries of Ottoman rule.

The declaration of the republic on Oct. 29, 1923, also repleted with the establishment of many schools and universities that emphasized modern and internationally recognized disciplines, in contrast to the traditional Ottoman medreses.

During a time when only two girls' high schools were established, one of them, the Izmir Girls' High School, received two visits from “Headteacher” Atatürk.

In the year 1925, when the school produced its first graduates and hosted the great leader, there were just three graduates.

Nevertheless, Atatürk, the staunch advocate of girls' education, perceived this modest number as the harbinger of a burgeoning educational fervor.

In the school's guestbook, which was then located in a mansion in today’s Alsancak district, Atatürk wrote: "I am very pleased with my visit to İzmir Girls' High School. The serious and well-directed efforts of the headmistress and male teachers are conspicuous, deserving both esteem and admiration. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Oct. 14, 1925.”

Atatürk's second visit transpired in the school's contemporary edifice, which stands to this day as a testament to its enduring legacy.

According to memoirs, Atatürk entered classrooms, conversed with students, spoke in French during a class, read texts at a literature lesson, posed questions during geometry class, participated in art activities and toured the science laboratories. Many individuals who were students at that time wrote in their memoirs that they would never forget the day when Atatürk, the head teacher, attended their classes.

At the end of the day, in the memory book presented to him for the second time, Atatürk wrote: "I am particularly pleased with the discipline I witnessed at Izmir Girls' High School, as well as the great care and enthusiasm in imparting and acquiring knowledge and national education. I thank the educators. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Feb. 1, 1931.”

The current principal of the school and a 1993 alumna, Suna Yoldaş Özdemirçelik highlighted the school's role in nurturing an outstanding generation and pioneering women who exerted a profound influence on the trajectory of Türkiye.

“For instance, İlhan Ayverdi, the daughter of a family from Manisa sent to study in İzmir, became the founder of a literary foundation. Nermin Abadan Unat, one of the first female academicians at the Law Faculty, graduated from here.”

She noted that the school proudly celebrates the centenary of the republic by recognizing its role in shaping Türkiye’s development, taking initiative and serving as an example to numerous influential and pioneering women through its educational contributions.