Thoma Deliana (1925 – 14 September 2014) was an Albanian politician of the Communist Albania period, best known as the longest-serving Minister of Education and Culture in the country's history, holding the post from 1963 to 1976.
Life
Deliana was born in 1925 in the Kala neighborhood of Elbasan, Albania, into an Orthodox family. He completed elementary school in his hometown and enrolled in the Normal School of Elbasan, where he was taught by the prominent educator Aleksander Xhuvani. During World War II, he joined the National Liberation Movement (LANÇ) and was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Albanian Antifascist Youth. In September 1944, he became Head of the Antifascist Youth of Elbasan District and a member of the Antifascist Council of LANÇ.
After the war, with the Communist rise to power, Deliana worked in the State Planning Commission and later as a staff member of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania. He studied philosophy in Moscow and, upon his return, was elected First Secretary of the Party for Elbasan and a member of the Central Committee.
Minister of Education and Culture (1963–1976)
In October 1961, Deliana was appointed Deputy Minister, and two years later he became Minister of Education and Culture. During his tenure, he oversaw several major initiatives:
- Textbook reconstruction: All textbooks were revised to reflect the Party of Labour's ideological line following the Soviet–Albanian split.
- Standardization of the Albanian language: The Orthography Congress of 1972 established the unified standard of the Albanian language.
- Establishment of the Academy of Sciences of Albania.
- Organization of two national pedagogy congresses held in Tirana.
Downfall and Later Life
In 1975, on the eve of the Sino–Albanian split, Deliana was accused of opportunism and anti-Party spirit. He was expelled from the party alongside Fadil Paçrami. He wrote an autocritique letter to Enver Hoxha, which saved his life. He was initially sent to Sinanaj village near Tepelenë to work as a local elementary school director, but was later reassigned to work as a cowherd and then in a state-controlled agricultural cooperative in animal husbandry. He retired in 1987 and returned to Elbasan.
Deliana died on 14 September 2014 at the age of 89.
