The History of NTC
The College started with seventy-six students and sixteen faculty members. A two-story, nine-room building on the corner of Mendiola and Legarda Streets in Manila served as NTC’s first campus.
Dr. Jose P. Laurel, who later became the president of the Republic of the Philippines, served as the first Chancellor of the College. He served the NTC community from 1928 to 1953.
The Start of the Journey
Among the pioneer members of the faculty were distinguished professionals of established reputation, led by the founders of the College, Dr. Segundo M. Infantado Sr. and Dr. Flora A. Ylagan.
The power-house faculty roster helped to attract more enrollees. The student population rose in its second year of operation despite the disastrous worldwide economic depression in 1929.
In response to the enrollment increase, NTC occupied its second site at the Lepanto corner of Paredes Street in Manila. At this point, NTC was the first to be authorized to offer general secondary classes for teachers during the long vacation of 1930.
Further expansion was seen in 1932 when the college moved to Azcarraga, known today as Claro M. Recto Avenue. The institution occupied the site from 1932 to 1939.
Serving the Nation Through Education
The Second World War interrupted the College’s expansion program and destroyed many of the improvements it took years to build. The occupying Japanese Armed Forces purged the library of all books dealing with Western Culture, especially those from the Americans, and the collection of specimens, significantly reducing the laboratory facilities.
Liberation in 1945 brought about reorganization and renewed dedication of the College to the cause of teacher education. NTC relocated to Tanduay Street, known today as Nepomuceno Street, in Quiapo Manila. When classes resumed at the opening of the school year in 1945, only a third of the pre-war students could return. Yet the College served more than double the old enrolment because its facilities were used in the evening without remuneration by the United States Armed Forces for educational purposes. Thus, NTC hewed closely to its avowed purpose of serving the nation through education in general and teacher education.
Young sculptor Paul Quiaño executed the monument. It shows a sculptural interpretation of one of the endearing themes in art since the Renaissance, the Madonna and Child. Quiaño’s work has become portraiture of both Teodora Alonzo and José Rizal as a young boy, at a stage when the son was learning the basics from his mother.
Expansion, Growth, and Continuous Development
The College moved several steps forward by including new courses from the Kindergarten to the Doctoral levels. The NTC was the first to offer a three-unit course in Contemporary Philippine Literature in English. It was a required course for BSE and AB students majoring in English in 1946. The College was also the first to offer a Research Course in Contemporary Philippine Literature in English in the Graduate Division in 1949. The College, too, was the first to teach Rizal’s Life and Works in Filipino.
In 1953, Dr. Segundo M. Infantado, Sr., sat as the institution’s second president until 1962. Further improvements were administrated, such as the erection of the college library building in 1947 and the elementary school building in 1948. To meet the demands of the changing times, the College offered a One-Year General Clerical Course in 1959.
Several steps forward
The College moved several steps forward by including new courses from the Kindergarten to the Doctoral levels. It would be worth noting that the NTC was the first to offer a three-unit course in Contemporary Philippine Literature in English. It was a required course for BSE and AB students majoring in English in 1946. The College was also the first to offer Research Course in Contemporary Philippine Literature in English in the Graduate Division in 1949. The College, too, was the first to teach Rizal’s Life and Works in Filipino.
Dr. Flora A. Ylagan succeeded Dr. Infantado and became the third president of NTC from 1963 until 1969. During her term, the Administration Building was extended to accommodate its increasing number of enrollees.
From 1969 until 1987, Dr. Cresencio G. Peralta served as the institution’s fourth president.
Being actively involved in community service or non-formal education since 1948, NTC was the first institution in the Philippine educational system, with a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) at the tertiary level introduced in 1972. It was also chosen as a Population Education Pilot School in Metro Manila in 1974. In 1977, the Two-Year Junior Secretarial Course replaced the One-Year General Clerical Course. A Community College for the Food Technician course was likewise opened the same year.
Through the years
NTC has continually striven to keep abreast of educational development here and abroad. It has always endeavored to make its training program relevant to the nation’s life and the conditions prevailing among the people for whose welfare its students are being trained. Therefore, the increased emphasis on science and communication has compelled the college authorities to acquire an additional site where the Science Building was erected.
Dr. Priscilla Y. Arguelles was elevated as the college president in 1987 and served the institution until 2016. Through years of performance, private educational institutions in the Philippines have attained a pre-eminent place in educational leadership, particularly in teacher education. The College was awarded a Plaque of Recognition on September 12, 1984, by the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) for its invaluable service to the country as a private institution of learning and for ensuring a strong partnership in education between the government and the private sector.
NTC saw an influx of students. Thus, further facility improvements were seen. To enclose the entire building block for the security of the students, the Board of Trustees decided to put up two additional halls in place of the old college building. The latter was demolished to make way for the Ylagan Hall and the Infantado Hall.
The College’s education program has been accredited and classified under Level III as of July 10, 1987, by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities- Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA). Now, the program is in the Level III reaccredited status.
To give new meaning and significance to the preparation of kindergarten, elementary, secondary, and college teachers, administrators, supervisors, and other specialists in education, a five-year course, Bachelor of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESED), was opened in 1988. Responding to the challenge of bringing technology into the classrooms, computer education enriched the General Education curriculum, and a new major in Computer Education was added to the BSED. Computer laboratories were installed at all levels in consortium with Information Professionals, Inc. (IPI). Faculty training in technology integration became the major infrastructure and human resource developments, respectively.
Preparing Manpower for the Industry
Gearing toward industrialization and developing professionals for national productivity and global competitiveness, clerical and secretarial courses were enriched, revised, and ladderized in 1992, leading to a Four-Year Bachelor of Science in Secretarial Administration (BSSA) major in Computer Secretarial Education, currently known as Bachelor of Science in Office Administration.
In 1993, a ladderized Four-Year Hotel and Restaurant Management course was opened which aimed at providing education and training that would meet the needs of the industry for entrepreneurs, entry level jobs as well as for managers, supervisors, trainers and educators.
The I.T. Building was erected in 2003 to house the computer laboratories to support the pursuit of the institution for its graduates to be attuned to the modern times.
In 2004, the College started offering TESDA Programs. The two-year programs: Food Service Management (FSM), Computerized Office Management (COM) and Medical Office Assistantship (MOA) have been offered up to 2011. TESDA Programs, Bread and Pastry Production NC II and Food and Beverage Service NC II, Two year Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Services; Housekeeping NC II and Bartending NC II were offered until 2016.
The Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) has replaced the Library Science major of BSE and BEED in 2007. This has paved the way to making the major a straight program.
In 2009, Bachelor of Science in Tourism (BST), Bachelor of Science in Travel Management (BSTrM) and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) were opened to meet the needs of the corporate world. It was also this year that the Rizal Building was inaugurated.
To continue expanding the services of The National Teachers College and to meet the demands of the times, permit was granted for NTC to offer Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) and Bachelor of Science in Psychology on June 2011 and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 2012. In order to serve more students, a new four-storey building was constructed in 2014 which featured 12 fully air-conditioned classrooms.
With the introduction of the K-12 program in the Philippines, NTC offered in SY 2016-2017 Senior High School offering both Academic and Tech-Voc. Tracks. Veronica Infantado-Fernandez, the corporate secretary, sat as OIC of the institution on 2017 until 2018.
The Acquisition of AC Education
In 2018, The National Teachers College officially became part of AC Education, the wholly owned-education arm of Ayala Corporation with Alfredo I. Ayala as the college president.
Ayala Corporation started investing in the education sector in 2012 through AC Education, with a vision of empowering Filipino parents and their children by delivering inclusive, quality education geared at improving employability for its high school and college graduates. With this vision, came the establishment of APEC Schools (Affordable Private Education Center, Inc.) for secondary education and the acquisition of University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) located in Naga City, Bicol Region. APEC Schools offer Junior High School and Senior High School across Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, and Batangas, and has an innovative and progressive approach to both learning and employability. UNC is the oldest and one of the largest private school in Bicol region, offering programs in Arts and Sciences, Basic Education, Business and Accountancy, Computer Studies, Criminology, Education, Engineering and Architecture, Graduate Studies, Law and Nursing. Together with NTC, AC Education aims to transform student lives through affordable, quality education.
True to its mission and vision, NTC continues to perform its share in educating and training teachers, administrators, supervisors, and other professionals who will serve in the interest of the Republic of the Philippines and the world at large.
Added to all these may be mentioned the periodic revisions and enrichment of the curriculum of general and professional education and the improvement of the methods and technology in instruction.
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