Ahmed Heshmat Pasha and His Role in the Reform of Education in Egypt (1858–1926)

Abstract

Ahmed Hashem Pasha is one of the most famous historical figures in the Ottoman era. He held several government positions, including the judiciary, administration, and education. He supported literature and the Arabic language in an era in which the colonial and missionary campaign intensified. Thanks to his efforts, the Arabic language emerged intact. He was jealous of the Arabic language and keen to reform education. This was clearly evident through his assistance to writers and authors. This interest increased after he took over the Ministry of Education to reform education. He emphasized the Arabic language and mastering its teaching, the form of

educational books, and facilitating their reading. He also emphasized the need to place punctuation marks, question marks, and exclamation marks. He expanded the sciences and arts, ordered the application of practical education in the ministry, established new schools for agriculture and commerce, added lessons in girls' schools and all the sciences and businesses they needed, and rejected the idea of sending Egyptian students to Europe to learn Arabic literature due to concerns related to the influence of Western ideas on students.