‘Nigerian youths can excel in Olympiads’

Nigerian youths can easily be trained to excel academically on the world stage, says Mr. Sabri Unal, Deputy Managing Director (Academics) at Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC).

In an interview, Unal said the evidence is in the large cache of awards that NTIC pupils have won in international competitions.

Unal said the school has won 45 gold, 50 silver and 71 bronze medals from international competitions.

The school also hosts the International Science Olympiad (ISO), which Unal said further confirms his assertion that with the right kind of training, students can indeed excel anywhere in the world.

“NTIC is the pioneer organiser of the ISO, an international competition in science subjects of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer and Biology, with more than 20 participating countries around the world, including Nigeria, Romania, the Netherlands, Argentina, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the United States.

“We have excelled at competitions such as the Informatrix International Computer Project Olympiad, International Art Competition, International Mathematical Olympiad, Pan African Mathematics Olympiad, International Science and Environmental Project Competitions and so on,” he said.

Unal explained that NTIC’s template for achieving such impressive results includes individual guidance for pupils, integrating technology into education delivery, small class sizes, and other techniques that help skills development, as well as extracurricular activities.

The DMD also said the education at NTIC was not for the rich as 30,000 pupils get 100 per cent scholarships in the school’s 16 branches in Abuja, Kaduna, Yobe, Kano, Ogun and Lagos states yearly.

Published on The Nation Online, 15 September 2016, Thursday