Parashqevi Qiriazi (1880-1970), one of the first Albanian teachers of women’s education, pedagogue, activist, and Teacher of the People, was born in Manastir (today in North Macedonia). In her hometown, she attended primary and secondary school. She studied at the American College for Women in Istanbul. After completing her studies in 1904, she began working as a teacher and principal at the Girls’ School in Korça. She was the only woman who participated in the Congress of Manastir (1908). She was one of the founders of the first Albanian women’s society “Morning Star” in Korçë (1909). That year, she also published the first primer with the alphabet of Manastir, entitled “Primer for the First Schools”. In 1912 she was enrolled in the Pedagogical Faculty of Oberlin University (USA). She also drew up the educational plan for the Government of Ismail Qemali there. She participated in the Peace Conference in Paris (1919). In 1922, she returned to Albania and, with her sister, Sevastina, opened the “Kyrias” Educational Institute in Kamëz (Tirana). Parashqevi Qiriazi dealt with various pedagogical, educational and teaching issues. She appreciated the importance of knowledge, especially school and national education, which she considered the nation’s pillar. She was against foreign schools in Albania. Of particular importance is her study “The Development of Schools in the Turkish Empire and an Ideal System for Education in Albania” (1913), where, in addition to the historical development of Albanian education, she also projects an “ideal system” of education in Albania, which includes: kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, university, normal schools and special schools. (In the photo: Parashqevi Qiriazi)
Text: The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. II , Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Prishtina, 2018, page 1367.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parashqevi_Qiriazi
Graphic processing: AHCF
