ABOUT NDTC

HISTORY OF NDTC

Notre Dame of Tacurong was opened in 1950 by Fr. Joseph Quinn, an Oblate Priest, upon instruction from Bishop Gerard Mongeau, OMI, to establish a Notre Dame school in Tacurong. A wooden structure was built in the 5-hectare land donated by Sabas Buenacosa, a pioneering settler of Tacurong, to welcome 250 high school boys and girls to a Catholic education.

In 1957, the girls were entrusted to the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (O.P.) while the boys were left under the direction of the Oblate Fathers.

In response to the repeated requests of the people of Tacurong and nearby municipalities, the college and the elementary departments were opened in 1963. College courses offered were BSEED, BSE and Liberal Arts. A year after, the course in Commerce was opened. In 1964, the college administration building was inaugurated and in 1965, the first commencement exercise was held with 35 ETC graduates.

Inspired by their mission to bring souls to Christ, the OMI Fathers, despite difficulties of pioneering works, took no exception to every opportunity that comes if only to push through test and trials the development of Notre Dame of Tacurong. However, in view of other missionary concerns, the OMI’s left the corridors of NDTC in 1974 after 24 years of administering the school.

From 1975 to 1980, the Marist Brothers of the Schools took over the administration of the school. The following year ushered the coming of another wave of administrators, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena.

Under the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena, the high school night session was opened in 1982 to cater to the underprivileged out-of-school youth and working students. It was also during this year that the construction of the three-storey college building was started. In 1987, the construction was finished and acquired occupancy permit for the second and third floors.

The succeeding years up to year 2000, saw the significant development of the school in terms of infrastructure and physical facilities; the construction of the gymnasium, the Home Economics building, the nursing laboratory, the three-storey Sullivan building, the NDTC Centrum, the elementary and high school canteens, the computer laboratories for high school and elementary and the installation of internet.

Considering the adequacy of its manpower and facilities and in response to the demands of the time, the school offered two-year vocational courses in computer programming, computer secretarial, computer systems technician, hotel and restaurant management, nursing aide, travel and tourism, and four-year courses in criminology, computer science and social work.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena administered the school for 22 years. In 2002, the contract with the OP Sisters ended and the school was turned over to the Archdiocese of Cotabato, the owner of the school.

On June 21, 2002, Rev. Fr. Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, DCC was installed as 8th President of NDTC and the First Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato to head the Archdiocesan College. His installation signaled the offing of massive and aggressive academic and infrastructure development programs. Institutional priorities were also laid down. In his inaugural address, Fr. Bagaforo stressed four thrusts of his incoming administration: Quality Education Through PAASCU Accreditation, Information Technology, Social Responsibility and Pastoral Collaboration.

Action and words stood side by side at NDTC and barely a semester in 2002 – 2003, the institution came up with a new vision-mission statement.

Infrastructure priorities started with three initial structures – the high school annex building, relocation and renovation of major offices or service centers and construction of science laboratories. The institution after a year, saw all the three main buildings (the original one built in 1975) refurbished and painted cream.

On May 14, 2004, the Liberal Arts, Commerce and Education programs were granted Level II accreditation by PAASCU. In the same year, the application for the Nursing Program was submitted to CHED. Simultaneously, with the application effort, the nursing laboratories and library holding requirements were procured. BSN program officially commenced in S.Y. 2003 – 2004. It paved the way for the construction of two-storey nursing building and the procurement of a school bus to serve as a transport vehicle for nursing students’ RLE activities.

Information Technology was improved by having the entire school computer system upgraded to make data and information fast and accessible in every school office. The current wave of highly advanced technological equipment and computerization programs also opened for a BS Computer Engineering.

NDTC has moved towards another historic milestone to become the leading institution in Central Mindanao. The research and community extension services were strengthened, the alumni association was revitalized, and the Office of External Affairs was established.

In 2005, NDTC gave birth to another institutional initiative – the conduct of institutional assembly and flag ceremony every Monday morning where all the plans and programs, calendar of activities and achievements for the week are announced and recognized. The Courier, the administration’s mouthpiece began its semestral publication and February 2 was declared as NDTC Foundation Day. In the same year, a five-month Electronic and Electricity course was launched serving 42 successful out of school youth. In September 2006, another six-month skills training in Dressmaking and Tailoring was offered to 35 out of school youth, young mothers and heads of the family thus enriching their lives in order for them to gain self-employment and become productive members of the society.

In line with its Continuing Education Program for Professionals, NDTC has not only provided support by sending personnel and faculty to trainings, workshops and seminars; it has even extended support for master’s and doctoral studies through scholarship grants. The grants cover tuition and miscellaneous fees, board and lodging as well as book and travel allowances. It was also on the term of Fr. Bagaforo as school president that a marked increase in the salary and benefits of the faculty and personnel of the school had been justly made.

In February 2, 2006, Fr. Bagaforo was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Cotabato. His Episcopal ordination was on April 25, 2006. The First Episcopal Anniversary of the Good Bishop, on his administration of the Notre Dame of Tacurong College got another spur as the time capsule was dropped to signify the laying of the cornerstone of Centrum II that marked the fruitful years of DCC administration at NDTC.

On June 22, 2007, the installation of the 9th President of NDTC, Rev. Mons. Antonio P. Pueyo, Ed.D., the Second Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato, opened another era in the history of the school.

Under his leadership, the school embarked on a journey to become a university by the year 2020. The five-year goals of the school were revisited and his thrusts were focused on the following: Instruction, Research, and Community Extension. It also marked the advent of new courses such as Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology. A good number of TESDA courses were likewise offered.

In the area of physical development, the computer laboratories were transferred from the Fr. Robert E. Sullivan Building to the Archbishop Philip F. Smith Building. The following constructions were made such as: Commercial Cooking Laboratory and Hotel Excel for BSHRM and HRS students, St. Jean Marie Vianney Chapel, offices adjacent to the chapel, Centrum II, and Diamond Jubilee Gate (High School Gate).

Quality education remained as one of the priorities as the high school department was granted level II accreditation status by Philippine Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) from 2007-2010 and level II reaccreditation status for Liberal Arts and BS in Commerce from 2007-2012. At the start of S.Y. 2010 -2011, the High School and Grade School departments prepared for reaccreditation and consultancy visits respectively while the College of Nursing and other programs like Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Bachelor of Science in Criminology were in application status.

Technological advancement was advocated such as automated enrollment system and on-line subscription of books and journals / magazines in the library. Faculty development was also given emphasis as shown by the number of faculty members being sent for studies and supported by the school.

In school year 2010-2011, the High School Department underwent PAASCU Reaccreditation Visit that resulted into a 5-year reaccreditation Level II status.

On January 19-20, 2012, the Grade School Department had a PAASCU Preliminary Survey Visit. The Department passed the Preliminary Survey

On June 29, 2012, Rev. Fr. Jessie P. Pasquin, DCC was installed as the 10th President of NDTC. He is the third school president from the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato. Under his administration, academic programs such as Liberal Arts and Business Administration underwent PAASCU reaccreditation visit while the Accountancy, Criminology, and Computer Science went through PAASCU Preliminary Survey Visit in January 2013. The Liberal Arts and Business Programs were granted another 5-year re-accreditation in May 2013 valid until May 2018. The Accountancy, Criminology, and Computer Science Programs had undergone Consultancy Visit on January 12-13, 2015.

The following year, Rev. Fr. Arnold L. Fuentes, DCC came in and was appointed as the Executive Assistant to the President, Treasurer, and Head of Physical Plant and Logistics. A number of constructions/renovations were carried out in the Smith Building namely; the Conference Hall, the offices of the VPA, Deans, Program Heads, and Faculty Room among others. The most significant project supervised by Fr. Fuentes was the construction of the Grade School Building. Another priest joined the administration, Rev. Fr. Jude G. Villa, DCC who was appointed Director for General Services with the Campus Ministry Office, Human Resource and Development Office, ICTSO, Community Development and Services Office, Research and Development Office, Printing Office and Institutional Sports and Community Extension Sports Program Coordinator under his  supervision.

The succeeding years ushered a lot of development as the school strives to attain and sustain excellence and to keep abreast with the changes in the educational landscape. A new Grade School Building was constructed in 2013 and was occupied on June 2, 2014. The advent of the K -12 Program paved the way for the opening of the Senior High School Department in June 2016. A new building was constructed to address classroom needs of Grades 11 and 12 students while other spaces are for laboratories and offices.

Accreditation is still at the forefront of NDTC’s endeavors in aspiring for excellence. On December 14, 2015 the Grade School Department was granted Level I PAASCU Accreditation status for three years while the High School Department was granted five years Level II Re-Accredited status on May 26, 2017. The College Department also had their own share of accreditation. As a result of the formal survey visit on February 29 – March 1, 2016, the Computer Science and the Criminology Programs were granted Level I Accredited status for three years while the Computer Engineering and Education Programs were on Candidate Status.

The institution also experienced changes of persons occupying key positions. In June 2017, Fr. Jude G. Villa, DCC was reassigned to a parish and in June 2018, Fr. Arnold L. Fuentes, DCC was appointed as Superintendent of the Notre Dame Archdiocesan Schools. However, that did not stop the administration from advocating change for the better.

Recognizing the importance of  technology in this modern age, the school President has embarked into a journey towards technological advancement. At the start of S.Y. 2018-2019, the upgrading of the school management system to ensure effective and efficient services and innovation in instruction through technological integration for transformative learning commenced.

Indeed, NDTC has never stop growing. It has not only withstood the test of time but also has become better through the aid of time for its history is reflective of its ardent desire to keep pace with the changing times, to serve the needs of the community and play an active role in its development.

THE SCHOOL SEAL

The seal of NDTC is a reflection of its vision-mission and unique tradition of dedicated service to the community.
On top of the shield is a cross and within the shield is an open book held by two hands and lighted by a small torch, representing Christianity, education and service. This indicates NDTC’s commitment to provide quality Catholic education to the youth of Sultan Kudarat and its environ.
Traversing the vast fields, is the profile of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a representation of the Marian element of the school.
Prominent in the middle of the logo is a salakot or talakudong, a head covering, from which Tacurong got its name. Underneath the talakudong is a vast field in the eastern horizon, where the three major crops: rice, corn and african oil are growing. This reflects the agricultural setting of Tacurong, in which NDTC plays a significant role in its development.
Gilding the brim of the Talakudong is a finely split bamboo that best represents the desirable Filipino values which NDTC vowed to inculcate in the minds of the students.
The human figures within the boundaries of the area represent the various socio-cultural groups that mirror the pluralistic culture of the region, recognized and respected by NDTC.
Enlaced underneath the shield is the school motto “INTEGRITY, LEADERSHIP and SERVICE”.