History of English High School for Girls & Boys in Istanbul

İstiklal Caddesi üzerinde 1858 yılında açılan English High School for Girls (EHSG), yaklaşık 47 yıl sonra Galata, Kuledibi mevkiinde kurulacak English High School for Boys (EHSB)'un da temelini atmıştır. Sir Edwin Pears'ın "FORTY YEARS IN CONSTANTINOPLE" adlı ve1916 yılı baskılı kitabında English High School for Girls'ün kuruluşunu şöyle anlatmaktadır: "Towards the end of the Crimean war Sultan Abdul Mejid, the father of Abdul Hamid, granted two pieces of property to the English and French respectively for the establishment of girls' schools. As at that time landed property could not be inscribed in the name of a foreigner, the difficulty of making a title had to be surmounted by a well-recognised Turkish fiction. In confirmity with this fiction every woman is a Turkish subject. Accordingly the property was inscribedin the name of the wife of Stratford Canning, afterwards Lady Stratford de Redcliffe. The property was situated in the very best part of the chief street in Pera, and consistent of a huge rambling old Turkish house, which during the Crimean war had been a café and the rendezvous of French and English officers. When this was converted in to a school Lady Canning took great interest in it, had a class for the pupils round at the Embassy every week, and exercised an influence upon the girls of various nationalities which was all together beneficial and is still greatfully remmembered by many old ladies in Pera. The school was open to all nationalities, but the language was to be English. So long as Lady Canning remained, and for a few years after her departure, the school was a success. Afterwards because of difficulties to find the suitable head-teacher, the number of pupils decreased, and around 1875 the school was closed. Few years later it was understood that in the property, there were number of shops producing good rents and when there is such an income, killing an institution was a scandal ! When this was questioned, the statement was that the land and buildings were the private property of Lady Canning, and there was nothing to be done. Further enquiry showed that this was not the case. Mr. Morgan Foster, the Director General of the Ottoman Bank took the issue to Sir Henry Layard, British Ambassador of the time, to communicate with Lady Stratford e Redcliffe. Lady Startford was aware that the land was inscribed to her name but she told that she was only a trustee, therefore negotiations followed and a trust deed was drawn up to deal with the property. Meanwhile Turkish land law had been changed, and permission had been given to inscribe property in the name of a corporation sole, such as an Embassy or a Consulate. The school was re-opened Head Mistress or as the Trust Deed called, Lady Directress and staff of teachers was appointed. The shops were managed by the committee and for twenty years the ramshackle Turkish café was a great success as a school. The attendance reached up to two hundred girls. In (1901) municipal requirements demanded that the considerable portion of the frontage should be given to the high street of Pera, so the community took the opportunity to build the existing building. Under Miss Green and subsequently Miss Charters, the school has been an unqualified success."

1905 yılında ise Kuledibi'nde İngiltere Kraliyet Devleti Baş Konsolosu Mr. Waugh tarafından bir 'Boys School' kurulmuş ve 31 öğrencisi ile İngilizce eğitim vermeye başlamıştır. Yaklaşık 6 yıl sonra, 12 Nisan 1911'de Sultan 5. Mehmed (Reşad)'in fermanı ile, yeni bir okul binası yapılması ve Kuledibi'nde zor şartlar altında faaliyet gösteren 'Boys School'un taşınması amacıyla Teşvikiye, Nişantaşı'nda bir arsa verilmiştir. Ertesi yıl eğitime açılan yeni 'Boys School' 1930 yılına kadar 'Okul Fonu' Mütevelli Heyeti Başkanı Mr. Whitthall tarafından yönetilmiştir. 1930 yılında 'Okul Fonu'nu ve yönetimini İngiltere Büyükelçiliği devir almıştır.1924 yılında Türkiye Cumhuriyeti resmi makamları tarafından yapılan uyarı ile 'Sultan fermanları ile okul açma ve eğitim verme yetkisi', Okul Fonu Mütevelli Heyeti tarafından Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devleti'nin yetkisine geçirilmiştir.

21 Kasım 1946 tarihinde yapılan tüzük değişiklikleri ile okulların yönetimi Okul Fonu'ndan alınmış ve İstanbul'da çalışan ve yaşayan İngiliz vatandaşlarının oluşturduğu İngiliz Cemiyeti'ne verilmiştir. Okul 1951 yılında kavuştuğu 'lise' statüsünden, maddi güçlükler nedeniyle 1966 - 1969 yılları arasında vazgeçmek zorunda kaldı.

24 Ekim 1971 tarihinde İngiltere Kraliçesi 2. Elizabeth, eşi Westminster Dükü Philip ve kızı Prenses Anne okulu ziyaret etmişlerdir. İngiltere Başkonsolosluğu tarafından 1973 yılında başlatılan maddi destek çağrılarına rağmen süren maddii imkansızlıklardan dolayı, 1 Ekim 1979 tarihinde Milli Eğitim Bakanı Necdet Uğur ile İngiltere Büyükelçisi Derek Dodson arasında imzalanan bir protokolle, EHS kız ve erkek okullarının taşınır ve taşınmaz malları ve yönetimleri, 625 sayılı Özel Öğretim Kurumları Kanunu'nun 6. Maddesine göre, Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'na devredilmiştir.

Bugün EHS kız ve erkek okulları, kız ve erkek öğrencilerin karışık okuduğu Nişantaşı ve Beyoğlu Anadolu Liseleri olarak eğitim vermeye devam etmektedir.