The Future of Imam Hatip Schools as a Model for Islamic Education in Türkiye

Abstract

After the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923, the madrasah system was abolished, and new schools, called Imam Hatip Schools (IHSs), were established to train “officials responsible for the performance of religious services” in 1924. These schools have slowly transformed from vocational schools into mainstream schools, partly because of the public’s demand for religious and academic education at state schools. In this qualitative research, through official documents and existing studies, we explore the IHSs’ historical foundations and their features. Then, we examine the recent initiatives, namely the “project school” and “program diversity”, launched by the conservative government to improve the quality of the IHSs and to make them competitive in today’s exam-oriented education system. The history of the IHSs shows that these schools have always been at the centre of politics of religion and have experienced periods of prosperity and decline depending on the ruling elites and governments. The IHSs have some crucial features which make them a unique model for Islamic education in the Turkish education system. The new initiatives seem to positively impact the IHSs, as they can now enrol students through central exams and aptitude tests. Yet, they also have ramifications, the most important being that these schools will move further away from their initial purpose, which was to train religious officials.