Identity area
Reference code
Title
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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Repository
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
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
20090618