NTIC: The reward for hard work

BY JOSHUA OCHEJA

In Nigeria, a lot has been said about the quality of education as not meeting up to standard as compared to other climes on the African continent.  A couple of reasons were adduced for this. Some said it was as a result of leadership failure, and some also said maybe quality education is not a priority for us as a people.

I have always disagreed with the school of thought that stated that quality education is not a priority for us as a people and this is as a result of the recent revelation of a school that has devoted enormous resources and time towards ensuring that Nigerian students indeed are exposed to the best teaching models as well as exposure to make them well-rounded individuals that would do the country proud in the future.

That institution is the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC), whose slogan is the right environment for learning. I could not agree less with the NTIC brand of education because from 1998; when it opened shop in Abuja Nigeria, it has been a case of consistency and tremendous growth.

From a rented two-bedroom apartment in Abuja, the NTIC schools today has a presence in six states in Nigeria and with 16 schools in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, Lagos and Ogun states. For 21 years, the NTIC has been contributing to the growth of the educational sector in Nigeria, and the results are evident with the exploits of its students in their chosen endeavors and the likes.

The teaching model of the NTIC is hinged on a two-pronged approach, quality education, and good morals. This much accounts for why upon an encounter with an NTIC student, there is an aura of humility and focus that radiates. This much was indeed confirmed by a student of the NTIC Yobe State, Abdullahi Shaubu Maje who emerged as one of the top ten candidates for the Unified Tertiary Institution Examinations with a score of 342.

For Abdullahi Shuabu Maje, the NTIC is a great institution that not only provides qualitative education but also teaches the sense of humanity, love, and brotherhood. The teachers are easy-going, passionate individuals who do not see teaching as a job but rather as a sacred duty to be fulfilled. “I like the teaching model of NTIC because it is very interactive. More so, it encourages students to be creative and apply the theories learned in the classroom to the world,” he said.

“My teachers encourage me by explaining complex topics. Also, they make me believe I have great potential, and I am capable of achieving great things.”

The above succinctly explains what the NTIC brand has stood for in the past 20 years of its operations in Nigeria, and the quality of its graduates have been top-notch and doing exploits in their various endeavors.

Another vivid example of what the NTIC brand represents was in 2017 when the overall best graduating student of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, was a product of the NTIC. Al-Amin Bugaje was a scholarship student all through his stay at NTIC because he performed brilliantly well at the entrance examination that the school awarded him full scholarship to nurture him and ensure that he didn’t lose focus.

Al-Amin Bugaje aggregated a CGPA of 4.93 from the Department of Electrical Engineering to emerge the best graduating student for 2017 in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

He stated that “at the NTIC, we were always told that success doesn’t come to you, you go for it. And those words resonate in our consciousness now and then. When you see an ex-student of the NTIC doing well, don’t be surprised because we have been well-groomed academically, morally and as well as well-equipped through exposures in the form of international Olympiad competitions and other competitions”.

Perhaps this explains why it has been stated in numerous quarters that the NTIC has a penchant for identifying and nurturing talents. This much was also highlighted by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education Arch Sonny Echono, who stated that the NTIC has indeed shown a significant commitment to the growth of the Nigerian Educational space with the quality of teaching in all its schools.

“The Nigerian Tulip International Colleges would feature as the leaders of those contributing to the development of the educational sector in Nigeria by identifying and promoting talents, as well as exposing them to international competitions and these are competitions in International Olympiad and Mathematics and indeed the contributions of the NTIC has helped in demystifying mathematics as a subject due to their enduring partnership with the National Mathematical Centre,” he said.

For the management of the NTIC, teaching is not a profession, but a strong commitment to impact knowledge at every given time where necessary. According to the managing director of the NTIC, Mr. Feyzullah Bilgin, the success story of the NTIC today is as a result of that firm conviction to produce individuals that are sound academically as well as morally to be good ambassadors of Nigeria and also to contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria in their own little way.

“The management essentially cautions teachers to offer extra classes to students in case he/she needs more explanation on a particular subject or topic; provides guideline and internet access for researches, and creates academic interaction between students for more exposure,” he said.

“With students from around 26 nationalities and, faculties from 11 countries, the NTIC community is diverse, dynamic and multicultural. NTIC is also proud to have an alumni network from the United States of America to the United Kingdom, as well as Malaysia and Turkey.”

The NTIC has also done tremendously in the area of exposing its students to International Olympiad Competitions that have resulted in over 350 medals for Nigeria. The managing director of the NTIC, also stated that the reason behind the active participation of its students in International Competitions is to give that exposure for them to be able to compete favorably wherever they find themselves.

“When they attend these competitions, they are not just students of the NTIC, but representatives of Nigeria and this has been a source of joy for us at the NTIC to be able to fly the Nigerian flag in the international arena.”

The success story of the NTIC today is the reward for hard work, and it is hoped that the tempo is sustained in the overall interest of Nigeria. The NTIC brand is indeed one to reckon with in terms of the provision of quality education in Nigeria.