20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

Romanian schools in the Balkan Peninsula during the 20 th century 785Marcu, head of Romanian Schools and Churches Department in the BalkanPeninsula pointed out: "... Since 1912, Albania had been a war theatre;it was devastated by the Greeks and Serbs, exhausted by the Austrian,Italian and French armies of occupation, population is nowadays reducedto poverty. All our school premises in Berat, Elbasan, Ferica, Grabova,Lunca, requisitioned by the army of occupation, do not have schoolfurniture. Starting from 1914 up to the current moment schools have onlyoperated in Coriţa district and Pleasa and a mixed school in Şipsca". 48 In thememorial of the 8 th of July 1926 issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairsof Romania, concerning the Romanian schools and churches in Albania aresummarized the actions undertaken by the Romanian Ministry in Tirana,Professor Simion Mândrescu. The Convention that had been preparedwith Mufid Bey Libohova could not be signed owe to the governmentfall. Negotiations were restarted with the new government and PresidentAhmed Zogu, and discussed within the Council of Ministers of Albania onOctober the 9 th , 1925, which agreed on the improvement of the Romanianschools activity in Corcea, Pleasa and Şipsca. In November 1925 SimonMândrescu was notified by A. Vrioni that "the Albanian government inorder to meet the right request of Romania will make all the facilities forthe opening of Romanian schools in the villages with Romanian populationprovided that the opening of these schools is required by the respectivecommunities". 49On February the 1 st , 1926, the Albanian Foreign Affairs Ministry gavethe following provisions: the introduction of the Romanian language inprimary schools with sufficient number of Romanian pupils, admitted thesetting up of the I st class of high school in Corcea with students from schoolsof Corcea, Pleasa and Şipsca and it agreed on the establishment either of avocational school for girls or a requisitioned one for a vocational school.The Romanian Red Cross was also authorized and not the Romanian state,to set up two boarding schools with 50 seats, one for boys and one for girls,provided these are wholly maintained by them. 49The new program of the Romanian Ministry of Public Educationfor the Romanians in Albania, provided for the school year 1926-1927the reestablishment of the Romanian schools that existed in 1912, at theopening of two primary schools in Tirana, one for girls and one for boys,of two boarding schools maintained by the Romanian Red Cross, of onemixed school in Durazzo, Elbasan, Berat, Fieri, Premet, Nicea, Grabova,Lunca, Valona, Cavaia, Ferica, as well as the reorganization of the high48Ibidem, file 799/1923, f. 4.49Ibidem, file 712/1926, f. 148-149.