Kuneshka, Sotir

Born on July 15, 1912 in the village of Boboshtitsa ( Alb. Boboshticë ) near the town of Korca , his father was a schoolteacher ^[2] . After graduating from elementary school in his village, Sotir entered the Albanian National Lyceum (also known as the French Lyceum, Alb. Liceu Kombëtar i Korçës or Liceu Francez ) in Korce in 1924, where he studied for the next nine years. Every day he has to travel 7 kilometers to school and back home, which does not reduce his interest in studying. He learns more successfully than others, especially the exact sciences. Despite this, it was impossible to get a scholarship for higher education from the Albanian government. By a favorable coincidence, during the study of local dialects, Andre Mazon, a French scholar of Slavism, visited the village of Kuneshki. He stayed at the Sotir house, and he helped him communicate with the locals ^[3] . Through the efforts of Mazon and the director of the lyceum, Kuneshka received a half scholarship from the French government, which allowed him to go to the Sorbonne to study physics ^[4] .

Sotir had to give schoolchildren physics lessons and read lectures on Albanian grammar at the National School of Oriental Languages ​​in order to fully cover the cost of training. For three years he received a physical education, and in 1936 he acquired a license allowing him to teach mathematics, physics, theoretical mechanics and general chemistry. Further, Kuneshka is preparing for certification in applied mechanics and electromagnetism, but in 1937 he is forced to return to Albania at the request of the Minister of Education in order to take the post of director of the lyceum. He remained in this position until 1940. In August, during the Italian occupation , he was sent to Pesaro to an artillery school. His militaristic activities ceased after the Allied forces landed in Italy . In early 1944, he went to Bari , continuing to give private lessons to earn money. A meeting with the Albanian military delegation allowed him to return home ^[4] .

Shortly after the end of the war, the French Lyceum opened again, and Kuneshka returned to the post of director. He did not stay long on it, since he was assigned more important tasks. The Ministry of Education has put the scientist at the helm of the entire school system of Albania. Education in the country required major changes, and Kuneshka headed the commission for the establishment of the Higher Pedagogical Institute ( Alb. Instituti i Lartë Pedagogjik ). This institution was the first in the country to provide higher education. Since 1948, Sotir has lectured at the institute, and a year later he becomes its director. In 1957, the University of Tirana was founded, and Kuneshka became the first dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (1957-1958) and the first chairman of the department of physics. He remained an employee of the university until his retirement in 1982 ^[1] .

Kuneshka played a key role in improving the program of physics courses in Albanian schools. He is the author of the first Albanian textbooks on physics, such as the Course in General Physics ( alb. "Courses and science sé pérgjithshme" , 1974) or the Course in Theoretical Mechanics ( alb. "Courses and physics sé pérgjithshme" , 1981). Among his research activities can be noted the study of the natural radioactivity of water systems. Thanks to the hard work of the scientist, the first working group of physicists in Albania was formed ^[1] .