MARCH 7 HISTORICAL DAY OF THE FIRST ALBANIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL

Today is marked in memory of the establishment of the first national school that was opened on March 7 in Korča. By Decision of the Presidium of the National Assembly of Albania (No. 113, dated March 3, 1960), March 7 was declared Teacher's Day, a day of political and cultural significance in the history of Albanian national education. The school in Korča is the first secular, national school, and before that there were schools with a religious character such as Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, etc. Over 2,500 state, private and religious public schools functioned in which teaching took place in Latin, Greek, Turkish, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and other languages. Since the learning of the Albanian language took place in secret, the need to request permission to open the school arose. Pandeli Sotiri was the first to request permission from the Ottoman Empire authorities in Istanbul with the help and support of the brothers Naim and Sami Frasheri. The first teachers of that school were Pandeli Sotiri, Toma Sina, Toma Avrami, etc., while its prominent leaders were Petro Nini Luarasi, Nucci Nachi, and others. Although in difficult conditions, the first Albanian curriculum school was a model for the schools established later. Subjects were taught: Albanian language and grammar, Albanian history, geography, arithmetic, natural sciences, music education and then other subjects. Students from all social strata, religions and from different Albanian regions studied. Teacher's Day is celebrated in schools and universities, a day dedicated to educators, pupils and students and encourages inspiration for future generations regarding the rise of the educational system and the appreciation of the sacred work of teachers.