Mustafa Kemal Atatürk started his education life in 1887 in Thessaloniki, in the neighborhood school. A few days later, he moved from the neighborhood school to Şemsi Efendi School. Later, he enrolled in the Thessaloniki Rustiye, which provides education with a modern understanding of education. He left this school after his father’s death.
Later, between 1893-1895, he started to receive secondary education at the Thessaloniki Military Junior High School for military training.
His teachers and friends would see Mustafa Kemal as a mature and intelligent child. He stood out among his friends for his intelligence and talent.
After his education in Thessaloniki Military High School, Mustafa Kemal continued his education in Manastir Military High School on 13 March 1896.
It should be noted that in addition to the importance Mustafa Kemal attaches to military education, he also attaches great importance to foreign language learning. Returning to Thessaloniki in the summer, Mustafa Kemal was taking French lessons here.
Mustafa Kemal, who successfully completed the Manastir Military High School, entered the Military Academy in Istanbul on March 13, 1899. Here, too, he continued his success and left with the rank of lieutenant.
Atatürk continued his education in the Military Academy and became a lieutenant in 1903. On January 11, 1905, he graduated from the Military Academy with the rank of Staff Captain.
Mustafa Kemal has been a distinguished person at the Military School and the Military Academy by his teachers with his abilities and personality. He was very interested in his lessons in military service and besides this field, he also had a great interest in literature and the art of eloquence. He showed himself as an enlightened and revolutionary officer in terms of expressing his thoughts about the country easily.
