Fonds AL2418 - Progressive Teachers' League Collection

Identity area

Reference code

ZA SAHA AL2418

Title

Progressive Teachers' League Collection

Date(s)

  • 1986 - 1990 (Accumulation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

0.5 linear metres (5 archival boxes)

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The Progressive Teachers' League (PTL) was formed in 1986 in Lenasia. It was formed by progressive teachers who were concerned with the education crisis and the ineffectiveness of the Teachers' Association of South Africa (TASA). It largely organised teachers who fell under the Department of Education and Culture, House of Delegates.

PTL was in its short life-span mainly based in Lenasia, although branches were established in Johannesburg Central, Actonville and Laudium. The thrust of PTL activity therefore occurred in Lenasia.

From its inception PTL worked closely with other progressive teacher and education organisations in the country. The PTL was also a leading participant in the National Teacher Unity Forum which culminated in the launch of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU). Upon the formation of SADTU, PTL ceased to exist.

ATASA - African Teachers' Association of South Africa

CTPA - Cape Teachers' Professional Association

NECC - National Education Crisis (later Co-ordinating) Committee

NEUSA - National Education Union of South Africa

NTUF - National Teacher Unity Forum

PTL - Progressive Teachers' League

PTU - Progressive Teachers' Union

SADTU - South African Democratic Teachers' Union

TASA - Teachers' Association of South Africa

THSSA - Transvaal High School Sport Association

WECTU - Western Cape Teachers' Union

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Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The PTL collection is a small collection (0.5 linear metres). It has been arranged to reflect its main activities. This collection also reflects the increasing militancy of teacher organisations, and the impact the education crisis of the 1980s had on teachers.

Sections A - H deals with the PTL itself and its membership. As the PTL was formed under the state of emergency and operated under repressive conditions, there are no minutes of its executive meetings available as these were not kept. This phenomenon holds true for many organisations during this period who were opposed to the apartheid regime.

Section I - K deals with the whole teacher unity process at the National and the Southern Transvaal regional and NECC level at which the members of PTL were involved. This process culminated in the formation of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU). Copies of minutes as well as hand-written notes of some of these meetings provide interesting insight to the whole process of the formation of a national teacher organisation

Section L has files kept by the PTL on the various teachers organisations in the country. It was not uncommon for PTL executive members to also be members of some of these organisations, more notably TASA. Section M are miscellaneous documents relating to education that the PTL had collected in the course of its activities.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

This collection is open for research

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Uploaded finding aid

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

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Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

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Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

20090618

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Accession area

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