The “National Educational Congress of Lushnja” was convened to determine the physiognomy and national spirit of education in the independent Albanian state. This gathering was organized in response to the requirements established by the National Congress of Lushnja in 1920, which focused on the systematization of national education, the establishment of educational structures, and the unification of language in school textbooks. Attending the congress were prominent educational figures of the time, including Aleksandër Xhuvani and Ahmet Gashi. The congress developed its agenda based on a program that was primarily drafted by the Ministry of Education under the direction of Sotir Peci. It decided that the education system should be extended to all provinces of the country liberated from the warring armies of World War I, and that primary education should be made free and compulsory. Grade levels were established: 4–5 grades in urban areas and 3 grades in rural areas. Private schools were required to operate according to programs approved by the Ministry of Education and to submit to its oversight. The school year was set to start on September 15 and end on June 30. The congress also made decisions about providing the local educational framework, unifying school programs, forming a commission for the preparation of school textbooks, and introducing a foreign language in the third grade of elementary school. The National Educational Congress of Lushnja addressed didactic and practical issues related to school operations, adopting 213 terms for language, arithmetic, and geometry. The congress is notably recognized for its decisions regarding school documentation, including the preparation and use of the register-amz in every school. (In the photo: The school where the Lushnja Educational Congress was held.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1252.
Photo: © https://www.radiandradi.com/
Graphic processing: AHCF
