Catalogue description Technical Education and Training Organisation for Overseas Countries: Correspondence and Papers

Search within or browse this series to find specific records of interest.

Date range

Details of BW 91
Reference: BW 91
Title: Technical Education and Training Organisation for Overseas Countries: Correspondence and Papers
Description:

Correspondence and papers of the Technical Education and Training Organisation for Overseas Countries (TETOC) and predecessors, relating to their responsibilities for assisting with developing technical education and management training overseas, and advising the Ministry of Overseas Development and the British Council. The records comprise council papers, policy files, and correspondence and case papers relating to individual countries, and to educational institutions in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Date: 1949-1984
Arrangement:

The arrangement is that of the TETOC editors. While ACCCAST and COCAST appear to have used the same registration system, it was changed at the establishment of TETOC in 1962, again during the 1972 reorganisation, and yet again when the British Council took over in 1981-1982. Files still current at the time of the changeover(s) were simply renumbered, with the result that many pieces bear two or more reference numbers. To avoid confusion, only the first of the reference numbers of each piece has been recorded as the 'Former Reference' in the catalogue. The records are grouped chronologically according to subject. Within those groupings they are mainly listed in alphabetical order of key words in the heading or title.

The scheme of arrangement is essentially in four sections, as follows:

  • BW 91/1-91. ACCAST, COCAST and TETOC: agenda, papers and minutes; Secretariat, 'domestic' and related files; membership; policy. These are listed chronologically.
  • BW 91/92-289. Relations with colleges, polytechnics and universities in the UK; relations with professional bodies, associations and organisations; overseas links; subjects under instruction; home and overseas visits. These are listed alphabetically and chronologically.
  • BW 91/290-958. Geographical and project files: These are listed alphabetically by country. Individual subjects are listed in alphabetical/chronological order under their respective country headings, following those files registered as 'policy' (numerical suffix '1') before 1972 and re-registered as 'general correspondence' (numerical suffix '2') after that date.
  • BW 91/959-1074. Staff recruitment for overseas colleges and institutions: a selection of files chosen to demonstrate the work of the TETOC Recruitment Unit. These are listed alphabetically by country.
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Not Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Advisory Committee for Colonial Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology, 1949-1957

Council for Overseas Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology, 1957-1962

Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries, 1962-1975

Technical Education and Training Organisation for Overseas Countries, 1975-1983
Physical description: 1074 file(s)
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
Selection and destruction information: The majority of the pre-1970 papers have not survived and thus the collection is incomplete. In 1970, TETOC set up a continuous review system in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958. A final review of the remaining records was conducted by a ex-senior officer of TETOC in 1981-1982, and the present collection is based on those that survived both processes. It is uncertain how many ACCCAST or COCAST papers survived to be transferred to TETOC in 1982. Among those files destroyed were the registered sets of agenda, papers and minutes of TETOC and its sub-committees, and those presented here (mostly incomplete) have been reconstructed by the editors from unregistered spares obtained from various sources together with duplicate copies culled from subject or geographical files. Early volumes of files relating to projects still on-going or only just completed at the time of the British Council merger were also destroyed.
Publication note:

C Moore and E Newbigging, A Study of the Management and Organisational Aspects of Three Quangos Sponsored by the Overseas Development Administration (Polytechnic of Central London, 1982).
Administrative / biographical background:

In 1949, the first advisory body concerned with the development of technical education overseas was appointed:, the Advisory Committee for Colonial Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology (ACCCAST). In 1957, this was replaced by the Council for Overseas Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology (COCAST). Both ACCCAST and COCAST were established to advise the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and their function was seen as complementary to that of the Inter-University Council for Higher Education in the Colonies. They were not independent of the ministry, and their actions were restricted geographically to the colonial or formerly colonial territories.

In 1962, the Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries (TETOC) was established as an advisory body by the Secretary for Technical Co-operation, and succeeded COCAST. TETOC's members were appointed by the Department of Technical Co-operation. Its purpose was to provide the minister with specialist advice in technical, commercial and management education and training for developing countries. This differed little from the function of its predecessors, except that there was no longer the same geographical restriction of action.

TETOC did not control large sums of money in its own right, but instead made recommendations to the ministry on how aid funds might be used, making out individual cases to officials and overseas governments for the allocation of resources to technical education. TETOC continued to act as a recruiting agency both for home government and overseas institutions in its specialist areas.

In 1972 TETOC was transformed into a company limited by guarantee, with its own staff, offices and budget, and with an executive Board of Governors who appointed a Director General with responsibility for day to day running. Despite this apparent independent status, TETOC was funded by a grant-in-aid from the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) and required to operate within ODA's policies and towards ODA's objectives. ODA was officially represented on TETOC's governing board and major committees.

Despite the 1972 intention to give TETOC operational responsibilities outside ODA there remained an administrative and functional overlap between the two. Primary responsibility for recruitment for overseas service under the aid programme lay with the ministry but TETOC was used as a source of expert assistance in seeking suitable candidates, processing applications and making recommendations for appointments. TETOC was responsible for co-ordinating consultancies, visits, links, staff exchanges and secondments. General advice to the minister came from within ODA but advice on specific projects came from TETOC.

In 1975 a further reorganisation converted it for all practical purposes into a specialist unit of ODA, with the acronym now standing for Technical Education and Training Organisation for Overseas Countries. The council and committees resigned, and the board was replaced by a three man governing body: the ODA Under Secretary in charge of education, the ODA's Chief Education Adviser and TETOC's Director General.

On 1 April 1981, the British Council assumed responsibility for the management of TETOC. In 1982, the TETOC Recruitment Unit was absorbed into the British Council's Overseas Department (OEAD). In April 1983, TETOC as a whole was absorbed as the Technical Education, Training Opportunities and Consultancies Group within the British Council.

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research