Maarif-i Umumiye Nezareti (1857 - November 4, 1922), or Maarif-i Nezareti for short, was the Ministry of Public Education in the closing decades of the Ottoman Empire. As part of Ottoman administrative reforms and modernization efforts in the early 19th century, a bureaucracy for managing education developed in stages, with a dedicated office (Mekatib-i Rüştiye Nezareti) established in 1838. With the Tanzimat reforms, this office was elevated to a ministry in 1857. It oversaw important changes to the education system in the 19th century, including the establishment of secondary schools and universities and the increasing secularization of education.