Ο ρόλος της εκκλησίας στην εκπαίδευση στα Δωδεκάνησα κατά την τουρκική κατοχή

Abstract

The education of Greek children in the Dodecanese during the Ottoman rule (1522-1912) presented continuous changes and adjustments to the circumstances which were imposed by the political and economic changes in the Ottoman Empire. The education was also influenced by the particular characteristics of this group of islands and it differentiated on every island according to the local development circumstances and the financial prosperity of each community. Scientific advances, technological breakthroughs and the new ideas that swept across Europe in the 19th century as well as the outbreak of the Greek revolution and the establishment of the Greek state constituted additional influences. During the first two centuries of the Ottoman occupation (16th17th c.), the education of Greek children in the Dodecanese was rudimentary. It appeared to be diverse and uncoordinated and- wherever available- was limited to the instruction of reading and writing skills based on texts from The Holy Scriptures. The lessons were given by provisional teachers mainly priests. During that period, the education wherever it manifested itself- constituted a fragmentary activity in Church life. Moreover, it was the work of individuals and was limited to the field of activity of teacher- priests who established this early school. There was no central planning for the establishment and functioning of the schools, neither any type of control by an overseeing authority. The aim of the lessons was the acquisition of a basic knowledge of reading and writing skills, which were necessary for practicing cleric duties. The development of the Greek Orthodox communities in the Dodecanese in the 18th century - which is attributed to both the slackening of the occupation due to the continuing decline of the Ottoman empire and the favorable conditions created by the Treaty of Kioutsouk- Kainartzi (1774)-and the simultaneous improvement of the living conditions of the community members contributed to the spread of education with the establishment of schools on the islands of the Dodecanese. The supervision and monitoring of the functioning of these schools was under the Church s control. One of the most prominent schools was the school of Patmos, which was set up in 1729 by Makarios Kalogeras, a monastic priest. The foundation of the School of Patmos constituted a milestone in the educational matters of the enslaved Greek nation since the graduates not only staffed the Church s dioceses and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople but also established and staffed schools in the Dodecanese as well as in other areas of the occupied Greece. Also important was the educational work done by St Marina School on the island of Simi. It was established in 1765 by Kallistratis Georgaris who was the vicar of the Patriarchal and Stavropigi monastery. St Marina School remained open until 1821, when it had to end its activities following an Ottoman decision which was made in retaliation for the participation of the Simians in the Greek Revolution. Other schools established in the Dodecanese were: the school of Damascenos on Leros (1784), a school in Lindos, Rhodes (1757), on Kos (1773) and on Kalymnos (1780). The heads of these schools, the content of the lessons as well as the aims and purposes of the educational activities served the needs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, i.e. the need for cleric staff and the need for teaching the content of Christianity. During the 19th century the education of the Greek children in the Dodecanese improved as regards both the qualitative and the quantitative characteristics compared to the education under the Ottoman rule in the previous centuries. One of the factors that contributed to this was the economic development of the Greek communities and the economic self-sufficiency and wealth of a number of residents who offered their assistance in the educational efforts. Rich merchants, seamen and wealthy emigrants constituted the middle class of the islands. They funded the establishment of schools and participated actively in the administration and functioning of the schools on their islands. The Tanzimat reforms (1839-1876), the scientific and technological developments and the new ideas that spread in Europe were also conducive to this educational boom. The progress in education also led to the inclusion of the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Geography, History and Physical Education. Changes also took place in the teaching methods with the introduction of the Mutual Teaching method, which replaced the recreational, one-word method, the empirical instruction and the improvisation on the part of teachers. The school management stopped being solely under the control of the Church. It became the result of cooperation between the members of the communities and the clergy and its representatives. This development limited the power of the clergy over educational matters in the Dodecanese and consequently the control of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and introduced the newly established Greek state as an additional factor. The educational activity grew detached from serving exclusively the Church and its purposes. What also contributed to this was that the teacher was no longer necessarily a priest. As evidence from written testimonies shows, the educational action of the Greek communities in the Dodecanese remained unhindered by Ottomans throughout the period of the Ottoman occupation on the islands. This lasted until 1869, when the island of Kassos supported the Cretan revolution and a period of reforms (Tanzimat treaty, 1876) ended. The above changed the indifferent and tolerant attitude of the Ottomans, who became interested in the activities of the Greek Orthodox schools. Fearing possible secessionist movements on the part of the Greek Orthodox inhabitants and the annexation of territories to the Greek state, the Ottoman authorities tried to control the content and function of the schools so as to avoid the spreading of nationalist and propagandist messages. To this end, they tried incorporate the schools in their administrative mechanism in order to control the available education. They sought to monitor the existing school and educational resources in the Dodecanese and impose complicated bureaucratic procedures in order to limit the issuing of licenses for founding schools, control the content of school textbooks, and introduce the instruction of their language as a compulsory subject in the curriculum. The efforts of the Ottoman authorities to direct the available education in the Greek Orthodox schools were not successful. They were met with resistance by elements of the Greek population, and deliberate obstruction caused by the Church leaders and the authorities of the communities.