Rizal’s Higher Education and Life Abroad Lecture Notes PDF

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Instructional Module in Life and Works of Rizal PreliminariesI. Lesson Number 3II. Lesson Title Rizal’s Higher Education and Life AbroadIII. Brief Introduction of the LessonAccording to Elizabeth Warren “A Good Education is a Foundation for a Better Future.” In this lesson we will learn and determin...

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Instructional Module in Life and Works of Rizal Preliminaries I. Lesson Number

3

II. Lesson Title

Rizal’s Higher Education and Life Abroad

III. Brief Introduction of the Lesson

According to Elizabeth Warren “A Good Education is a Foundation for a Better Future.” In this lesson we will learn and determine Rizal’s academic background, including his successes and failures while studying at Ateneo de Manila and Unibersidad de Santo Tomas. His struggles in education system of the Spaniards. We can further understand and analyze how he come up to his first travel decision and continue studying abroad rather than staying in the country.

IV. Lesson Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to: a. Determine Rizal’s academic background. b. Analyze and understand his first travel decision and continue studying abroad. c. Enumerate Rizal’s artistic and literary works and create an example. d. Correlate the experiences of Rizal as a student and student in new generation. e. Describe the joys and struggle of educating oneself.

Lesson Proper II. Discussion EDUCATION AT THE ATENEO DE MANILA On June 10, 1872, Paciano accompanied Rizal to take the entrance examination at College of San Juan de Letran and passed it. They returned to Calamba to stay for few days with the family and to attend the town fiesta. Don Francisco changed his mind and decided to send Rizal to Ateneo Municipal (later on became the Ateneo de Manila). Paciano accompanied Rizal to Manila to enroll at the Ateneo Municipal. Father Magin Fernando, the school registrar, refused to admit him for these reasons: he was late for registration and he was sickly and small for his age. With the intercession of Perez Burgos, a nephew of Father Burgos, he was admitted to the Ateneo that was located in Intramuros within the walls of Manila. Rizal was just quiet and observant of the different activities in class. The Jesuits’ system of education was more advanced. Its discipline was rigid and the methods are varied. It promoted physical culture, humanities and scientific studies. It also establishes vocational courses in agriculture, commerce and mechanics as a religious institute, its principal purpose was to mold the character and the will of the boys, to comply more easily with the precepts of the church. The students hear mass before the beginning of the class, which was Opened and closed with prayers. Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo was Fr. lose Bech. Being a newcomer and with little knowledge of Spanish, and an externo (non-boarders), he was placed in the Carthaginian Empire. The other group was the “Roman Empire” consisting of the intemos (boarders). Each group had its ranks, the best in rank is the “emperor”, the 2nd best-tribune; the 3rd is the decurion, 4th the centurion; the 5th is the standard-bearer. Within the empire, the students

aspired for the position by answering the questions for the day’s lesson. If a student made three (3) mistakes he could lose his position. Any student might be at the end of the line, but if he studies hard and was brilliant, he could become an “emperor.” The two groups “Roman Empire” and “Carthaginian Empire” were in constant competition for supremacy in the class. Jose Rizal progressed well in his studies that after a month he became the “emperor” and was considered the brightest pupil of the class. He was awarded a prize, namely, “a religious picture” which he was so proud of because it was the 1st prize he ever received at Ateneo. He spent his leisure hours by taking private lessons to improve his Spanish at Sta. Isabel College. He paid three pesos for the Spanish lessons. At the end of the school year on March 1873, he returned to Calamba for the summer vacation. He did not enjoy his vacation because his mother was in prison at Sta. Cruz. Doña Teodora was arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto tried to poison the latter’s wife. After her arrest, Doña Teodora was forced to walk from Calamba all the way to Sta. Cruz, a distance of 50 kilometers. She was imprisoned for two and a half years. In his second year in Ateneo (1873-74), nothing unusual happened to Rizal. Once again, he received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal as a diligent student and voracious reader. Rizal kept reading fiction, non-fiction and novel like the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. His imagination was stirred by the sufferings of Edmond Dantes (the hero), his escape from the dungeon of Chateau d ’If, and his finding a buried treasure on the rocky island of Monte Cristo and his revenge on his enemies who had offended him. Rizal also read Travels in the Philippines written by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German scientisttraveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860. The book consisted of the keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization and the prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as a colonizer. Through his readings, he discovered the wisdom of books and its influences on his search for knowledge. Another book that his father bought was the Universal History by Cesar Cantus which was a rich source of historical facts about the world. He used to read this while studying in Ateneo. On his fourth year in Ateneo, Jose Rizal was inspired to study hard and to write poetry by one of his professors, Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, a great educator and scholar. Rizal had the highest affection and respect for Father Sanchez, whom he considered his best professor in Ateneo. Rizal’s formal lessons at the Ateneo gradually gained him proficiency both in the art of rhetoric and in the art of independent thinking. He expressed his ideas on the value of education in his poem “Through Education the Country Receives Light” (Por La Education Recibe Lustre la Patria). He stressed that responsible education instills in the youth, noble ideas and sublime virtues. Learning infuses truth, and discipline brings peace, glory and tranquility to the nation. Por la Education Recibe Lustre la Patria. Through Education the Motherland Receives Light (April 1, 1876). This poem shows Rizal’s high regard for education. He strongly believed in the important role which education plays in the development and progress of a nation.

RIZAL’S STUDIES AT ATENEO (1872-1877) He excelled in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term. He proudly offered all his excellent ratings and medals to his parents, a way to repay them for their sacrifices and love. He was considered the most brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly the “Pride of the Jesuits”. During his stay at the Ateneo, Rizal’s grade were all Excellent (Sobresalliente). On March 23, 1877 he received his Degree of Bachelor of Arts with honors. The academic excellence of Rizal and his literary skills qualified him for membership in two exclusive organizations at the Ateneo, namely, “The Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Science” where he became the “prefect.” He also joined the Marian Congregations; (Sodality of our Lady and Apostleship of Prayer) where he became the secretary of the Marian Congregations. RIZAL’S STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS For higher studies, after graduation from Ateneo, he pursued his studies at the University of Sto. Tomas. The Bachelor of Arts course during the Spanish times was equivalent only to the high school and Junior College Courses today. His mother Doña Teodora was opposed to his son’s pursuing higher education in Manila because she was reminded of the fate of intelligent Filipinos like the priests GOMBURZA. Don Francisco believed of the great future that awaited his son whose intelligence was among the “best” during that time. During his first year at UST he studied simultaneously at Ateneo taking up vocational course leading to the title of “perito agrimensor” (expert surveyor) with grades of “Excellent” but was not given the title because he was still 17 years old. He finally decided to take up medicine with the advice of Pr. Pablo Ramon, the Director of Ateneo de Manila with the intention and desire to cure Doña Teodora’s failing eyesight. The study of Rizal at University of Santo Tomas was not meaningful and fruitful just like when he was at Ateneo. He found the atmosphere at UST suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at the Dominican institution of higher learning. The professors were hostile to him, the method of teaching was far from the brilliant method at Ateneo and prejudice and racial discrimination was prevalent. Because of this situation, Rizal failed to win high scholastic honors. Although his graded in the first year of the Philosophy course were all excellent they were not impressive in the four years of his medical courses. Rizal after completing his four years in the medical school decided to leave the country for Europe. He was no longer happy at the school. He can no longer contain the hatred, discrimination and discontentment he had towards the Spanish students and teachers. He heard that teachings abroad were much better and far more advance. The family, friends and acquaintances believed that he was going to Europe to finish his medical schooling. But it was more than that. From the letter Paciano sent to Rizal, the real purpose of Rizal’s journey to Europe was to make a name for him in realm of journalism and to observe and study the European way of life. EXPERIENCE OF SPANISH BRUTALITY Rizal experienced his first taste of Spanish brutality when he was in Calamba spending summer vacation after a long tedious study as medical student of UST....