From: Teacher Naum Dhimitër Naçi, better known as Nuçi Naçi ("Knowledge" magazine, March 1927)
From 1877 to 1885, the nation's issue took on body and soul, and the associations that were started in Istanbul and Bucharest started publishing books and newspapers in the native language.
In all the big cities of Albania, invitations were sent with advice to look for teachers to teach children the Albanian language.
The Albanians who had founded the Albanian society in Istanbul managed to get permission from the Minister of Education of Turkey to open a private school in the Albanian language, in Korça.
The permit was given in the name of the late Pandeli Sotiri from Selckë e Përmet.
The Bucharest "Drita" society agreed with the Istanbul one to first use mild measures with people who had other feelings at the time, as well as with the head of the church, the then Despots, to introduce the Albanian language in schools ruled by the Patriarchate.
For this purpose, a member of the society, the late Thimi Marko, was sent from Bucharest to talk to the men who were in Istanbul. Thimi Markua arrived in Korça in 1885, in the summer, and appeared at the meeting of the Metropolis, showing the desire of all the Korça residents of Bucharest, as well as a letter from Anastas Lakçe, in which Lakçeja tells Dhimogjerendi that, the interest I want to the Albanian language was introduced in the schools of the community in Korça, so that it could be taught by girls and boys.
The council, together with the Despot of that time (Phillotheos), first said that such a thing could be done, but then they said that permission from the Patriarch was needed. Permission was requested, but the answer was that such a thing could not be accepted in the schools of the Korça community, since it did not grow from the will of the people, but from some people bought by Austrian propaganda, and by some Protestants!
This caused a quarrel between the council and its member Jovan Kosturi, left the meeting.
When the patriots realized that nothing useful was being done through the Metropolitanate, they sent the emissary Pandeli Sotiri, who had not yet left Istanbul. At the end of 1885, he opened the first Albanian school for boys and girls in Korça. The mayor of Korça at that time was Mahmud Pasha Elbasani, who supported the national idea.
The building of the Kristaq Terpo brotherhood - which is today a girls' normal school - on the plateau of Shëngjergj, was used as a school. This building, as it is today, was purchased by the aforementioned brotherhood from the Orthodox community several years ago, and the community had taken it over due to a debt from Drenovari Kunxho. At that time, this building was purchased for 480 Turkish liras; today its value is about 3,000 napoleons and it is donated by the aforementioned brotherhood to be used as a school.
There, the first days of Albanian language lessons from Pandeli Sotiri began; for the school year 1885-1886 there was an assistant Mr. Thanas Sina from Postenani of Leskovik, also for the Turkish language lawyer Ibrahim Efendinë.
Both this year of the beginning and the year 1886-1887, there were nearly 200 students, girls and boys.
The intrigues of the Metropolis and the Patriarchate forced Pandeli Sotire to be removed before the end of 1887.
Pandeli Sotiri had a Greek wife from Fanari; she urged him to go away from here. The school remained in the hands of Mr. Thanas Sina. Pandeliu was removed to Istanbul where, after some time, he met a horrible death: He was thrown from the windows of the three-story house where he lived. they say that his wife and father-in-law prepared this horrible death for him. /Telegraph/
