Date Published: 08/12/09
T.I.S: Nigeria’s Model in Technological Development
By Ndachimya Magaji
Basically, the way one chooses to play a game of any nature, is the key he will use to win or lose it. Unarguably, coming in first does not usually make you a winner, any more than coming in last makes you a loser. The fact remains that, if you work hard toward making each performance a little better than the last one – and if you find your sense of life steadily expanding and improving, then definitely, you will emerge a winner.
The picture being painted is likened to the eventual and steady growth and development of Triton International School, situated at Kilometre 20, along Keffi – Abuja Road Masaka, the school derived its name from the largest moon of the planet Neptune, one of the eight planets in the solar system. No doubt, history was made, when the school took off in January 2006, with a class of five students and three teachers. From the onset, the pioneering students learning the strange figures of the alphabet seemed to have been initially overwhelming. They have never had to draw on their memory to that extent before. But with vigorous practice in writing each letter, alongside other strategic methods adopted by the school management to impart knowledge to the younger ones, the School’s vision aimed to educate and imbibe appropriate knowledge and leadership training to enable the youth perform creditably upon graduation from Triton International School, is gradually paying off. This is epitomized in the performance of especially the graduating students/pupils this academic session.
Through dint of hardwork, practice and repetition, undertakings of increasing complexity have been completed by turning out the first set of graduates of the junior secondary school set. By this feat, what at first seemed an impossible task in 2006, when Triton International school carne on board, has now become a routine. Actually, every person who learns to read and write, takes a giant – sized problem. And through daily practice and persistence, works away at it until he masters it.
The Founder/Chairman of the school, an academic and an accomplished engineer with considerable professional experience in the administration of Higher Education in Nigeria, is Professor Salihu Mustapha, FNSE, FA Eng, FAS, former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Yola. Hence, both modern and traditional academic policies of the school, coupled with the crop of highly trained teachers, had maintained a superlative standard of performance among its peers in Nigeria and on the African continent. For instance, inspite of the large turn out of prospective pupils and students annually, the school has continued to maintain low student/staff ratio of 25:1 in all the classes. This the school authority believes, is to ensure that, both students/pupils get the required individual attention they deserve from their teachers. It is worthy of note that the school also offer intellectual challenge and stimulation in a highly contemporarily setting. As a matter of policy, pass mark for all categories of students has been raised to 65%. They are required to score a minimum of that percentage, so they could be promoted to the next class.
To assist children of rural setting acquire modern knowledge and skills that would enable them to brace up to the ever changing challenges of the future, Triton International School is stocked with modern science laboratory in the institution, where students are taught practical skills to complement their theoretical knowledge. The laboratory is also stocked with the required specimens, instruments and machines that enable the students to carry out various experiments, demonstrations and observations.
On Information Technology, Triton International School, Kuchikau in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, is committed in training her students/pupils all the rudiments of IT. The school’s state–of– the art computer laboratory is available to almost each student for practical exercises. Each child is taught to explore the advantages of computers in assignments, power point presentations and even how to send email messages. They are also taught how to download information and or messages by providing them access to the internet to give it technological lead, the school has full internet connectivity through a VSAT 24 hours.
With the advent of the country’s new education policy, pupils admitted into the school will spend (9) years in Nursery/primary school. On completion, they will spend another 3 years in JSS before proceeding to the SSS. In the primary session, pupils undergo the following subjects namely: Maths, English, literary appreciation (Literature), Computer, French, Arabic, Hausa, Islamic Studies, CRK, Elementary Science. Others are: Agric Science, Health Education, Vocational Studies, Quantitative, Verbal Reasoning, Art, Music writing, Social Studies, and PHE. An attraction to the school is its farm on which pupils get practical training in farming.
In addition to the normal class work, the school goes a step further to empower its students/pupils. It organizes extramural classes for the following national and international examination boards: Primary, JSS, SSCE, ACE, WAEC, London GCE, SAT, JAMB Certificate and Diploma courses in Computer.
The Proprietor/Chairman of the school, Professor Salihu Mustapha on the occasion of the 3 rd graduation and prize giving ceremony on August 1 st 2009, expressed happiness on the steady growth of the school, which within 3 years, has a student/pupils population of 290 with 21 teachers in all levels of Reception, Nursery and Junior Secondary School. The school’s tremendous progress he maintained “has made it possible to fully incorporate the latest curriculum developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) designed for the 9-year Basic Education from primary to junior secondary levels”.
Triton International School situated on a piece of land approximately 4 Hectares, will no doubt have an added advantage of studying in a real life and serene environment. This will give them leverage over their peers in other institutions who are not opportune to experience same, with a larger perception of nature.
The three wings of the school are named to reflect its International outlook and Nigeria’s place in the geopolitics of the African sub-region and the world at large namely. African Union, ECOWAS and Common Wealth, while the Administrative block is named after the United Nations. Apart from the existing structure, there are also spaces for Fine Arts and Language laboratory for teaching English language/phonetics, French and Arabic.
The school also encourages students/pupils to get practically involved in learning. This is to enable them develop knowledge and skills to identify their individual strength that will benefit their future career.
There is no doubt; Triton International School is the institution to choose, for any/every parent who wants the best education for his child.
Ndachimya Magaji, a member of the School’s P.T.A can be reached on 08074112992.
