History

Izmir was one of Turkey’s most important cities for teacher training during both the Ottoman and Republican periods. When the decision was made in 1952 to close the Kızılçullu Village Institute and open a new teacher training school in its place, the site was chosen: a mansion built in the late 1890s by the Rees family, a prominent family in Buca, which had been seized by Izmir Governor Rahmi Bey during World War I and converted into a Boarding School for Girls. It now serves as the dean’s office. Located in a garden of exceptional importance for its diverse flora and fauna, the Rees Mansion was restored and opened as the Izmir (Girls) Education Institute on November 30, 1959. In its first year, the school had nine teachers, a science department manager, and 60 female students. Beginning in 1960, the Institute experienced a significant increase in the number of teachers, students, and departments. Over the next ten years, the number of teachers, including six departments, rose to 62 and the number of students to 623, prompting the construction of new buildings.

During the first ten years, the number of departments and students grew in line with the institution’s capacity. However, after 1974, the number of departments and students eroded due to the general political and cultural climate in Turkey, the increase in student numbers due to the correspondence-based teacher training program, and the frequent turnover of the teaching staff. The three-year institutes established to train secondary school teachers were restructured in the 1978-1979 academic year, and the duration of the three-year institutes was extended to four years. The Izmir (Girls) Education Institute was renamed Izmir (Buca) Higher Teacher Training School, transforming it into an educational institution that also trains high school teachers.

With the adoption of YÖK Law No. 2547, the Buca Higher Teacher Training School became a faculty affiliated with Dokuz Eylül University on July 20, 1982. With this arrangement, the Izmir School of Foreign Languages was transferred to the relevant department of this faculty, and the Manisa Youth and Sports Academy and the Ege University School of Physical Education and Sports were merged with the Physical Education Department of the Buca Faculty of Education.

After renaming itself the Faculty of Education in 1982, the Demirci School of Education, which had been affiliated with it, was merged with the newly established Celal Bayar University in 1992, and the Denizli School of Education was merged with Pamukkale University, which was established the same year. These institutions were separated from the Buca Faculty of Education.

After the Buca Teacher Training School became a faculty affiliated with Dokuz Eylül University, the vast majority of the teachers there continued their duties as lecturers. Since becoming a faculty, the institution has continued its education with one professor, one assistant professor, and 197 lecturers.

As of the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year, Buca Faculty of Education continues its education and training activities in 8 departments (undergraduate in 21 majors) with 189 permanent faculty members (67 professors, 52 associate professors, 30 assistant professors, 28 lecturers, 22 research assistants) and 4341 students.