Rizal As Student

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Rizal as a Student

EARLY EDUCATION OF RIZAL


● His mother taught him to read and write between 1865 and
1867.
● Rizal grasped and acquired the letters taught to him by his mother
when he was 3 years old. He learned the alphabet, arithmetic,
stories, catechism, Spanish version of vulgate bible and memorized
prayer.
● When Jose Rizal grew older, his parents acquired private tutors to
give him lessons at home in preparation for his formal education.
One of them was Leon Monroy, a classmate of his father who taught
him the rudiments of Latin and Spanish.
● When he was 4 years old Father Leoncio Lopez, helped Rizal
understand the philosophy of life and learned the value of
scholarship and intellectual honesty.
● His mother also found out his love for poetry, so he encouraged him
to pursue making beautiful poems and through the continuous
teaching of Doña Theodora, He was able to write his first poem
entitle" Sa Aking Mga Kababata" at the age of eight.
● In 1869, Rizal's parents decided to transfer Rizal to a private school
in Biñan, Laguna, that was supervised by Maestro Jostinianno
Aquino Cruz. His first day was a challenging one. He excelled in
Latin, Spanish, and other subjects on the primary school
curriculum. As a result, many of his pupils got envious of him and
went to great lengths to discredit Rizal in the eyes of Maestro Cruz.
● He also experienced school brawls in his first day of school
(wrestling and arm wrestling) which clearly depicts that Jose Rizal
isn’t a completely studious person whose life only revolves on books
but can also be involved in trouble just like any other normal
student.
● Throughout that period, students were instructed by the arduous
technique of memorization to internalize knowledge. Despite some
deficiencies in basic education under the Spanish system, Rizal
managed to obtain adequate preparation for higher education upon
his arrival in Manila.
HIGH SCHOOL
 Rizal was a fast learner and had excelled under Maestro
Justiniano. His schooling in Binan lasted for a year and a half. It
was the Maestro who suggested to Jose’s parents that he be sent to
Manila to pursue higher education.

 Before he left Biñan, prayed in the town church, collected pebbles


and bade farewell to his teachers and classmates. On June 10, 1872,
four months after the execution of Gomburza, accompanied by
Paciano, Jose went to Manila and took an entrance examination at
the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. But his father wanted a Jesuit
college instead, and so Rizal tried at the Ateneo Municipal.

 Rizal entered the Ateneo Municipal de Manila at the age of 11.

 Father Magin Ferrando, the college registrar, refused to admit Rizal


for being overly late for the registration, and being sickly and too
short for his age. Through the intercession of Manuel Xerez Burgos,
Jose Burgos’ nephew, he was admitted at the Ateneo Municipal. He
earned excellent marks in subjects like philosophy, physics,
chemistry, and natural history. At this school, he read novels; wrote
prize-winning poetry (and even a melodrama— “Junto al Pasig”);
and practiced drawing, painting, and clay modeling, all of which
remained lifelong interests for him. It was also in this Municipal
where the young Pepe first made use of the surname Rizal (from the
Spanish word “ricial”, meaning green field or pasture) which was
uniquely chosen by Don Francisco to avoid suspicions from the
Spanish authorities of their relationship with the martyr, Burgos.
Rizal was an excellent student and had garnered high scholastic
records in all subjects.

 On March 23, 1877, the 16-year old Rizal received his Bachelor of
Arts diploma (equivalent to present-day high school diploma), and
was among the nine sobresaliente or outstanding students of their
class.

Life and Studies in Ateneo


- Ateneo Municipal de Manila established by the Spanish Jesuits
- Rizal entered in 1872
- He belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, mestizos and Filipinos
- His teacher was Fr. Jose Bech
- He was considered as an inferior and was placed at the bottom of the
class
- By the end of the month he became the emperor and received a prize, a
religious picture
- To improve his Spanish Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College
- During his 4th year in Ateneo he received 5 medals and graduated as
sobresaliente
- He graduated on March 23, 1877(16 years old)
- Received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors not a
valedictorian.

COLLEGE
Medical Studies in University of Sto. Tomas 1877 - 1882

 He continued his education at UST and finished a year in Philosophy


and Letters after deciding to shift to a medical course. He made the
decision for him to be a physician and be able to treat his mother’s
failing eyesight. Fr. Pablo Ramon, the Father Rector of Ateneo
whom he consulted recommended medicine.
 He studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy, and History of
Philosophy.

Rizal eventually earned a land surveyor’s and assessor’s degree from


the Ateneo Municipal while taking up Philosophy and Letters at the
University of Santo Tomas.

 While UST was under Dominicans, the rival of Jesuits that


established Ateneo, Rizal remained loyal to Ateneo.

Pre-Med Course

 Out of the 28 young men taking Ampliacion only four including Rizal
were granted the privilege of taking simultaneously the preparatory
course and the first year of medicine.
 Rizal also received his four-year practical training in medicine at the
Hospital de San Juan de Dios in Intramuros
 During his last year at the University, Rizal had obtained the global
grade of Notable (Very Good) in all his subjects, and he was the
second-best student in a decimated class of seven who passed the
medicine course. After which, Rizal decided to study in Spain.

Academic Journey to Spain

 1882 - 1885
-His departure for Spain was kept secret from Spanish Authorities,
friars and even his parents especially his mother because she would
not allow him to go. To avoid detection, he used the name Jose
Mercado.

Rizal as a student in Madrid

Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Madrid

 He began his medical studies on October 2, 1882, and finished it


two years later in June 21, 1884 where he conferred the degree of
Licentiate in Medicine in Universidad de Madrid. One of his
professors was the then famous Marquez de Busto. The other
professors he had mentioned were Drs. Mariani, Polo and Stocker.
He apparently spent his residency at the Hospital de la Princesa
where, as he had written to his family, he performed two operations
on detached ligatures.
 The following academic year, he studied and passed all subjects
leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Unfortunately, he was
not able to submit the thesis required for graduation nor paid the
corresponding fees. With that, he was not awarded his Doctor’s
Diploma.

Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

 While Rizal was taking courses in medicine, he went to the nearby


Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and took five hours of
painting lessons under Carlos de Haes.
 He also enrolled in Academy of San Carlos, where he sharpened
his Fencing and Shooting skills in the Hall of Arms Sanz y Carbonell
and he also took lessons in French, German, and English under
private instructors.
 He likewise enrolled at the Facultad de Derechos, (UCM) but his
brother dissuaded him from continuing the course.

 Rizal’s interest in law was in line with the desire for political
autonomy in the Philippines. But his interest in the humanities
overtook all other interests He was awarded the Degree of
Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the Universidad Central de
Madrid June 19, 1885, with the rating of excellent.

But as time went on, Rizal’s heart was not in medicine as shown by his
enrollment in other courses. His medical interest was animated more by a
desire to remove cataracts on his mother’s eyes; she was then close to
being blind. Already losing her eyesight, Rizal’s mother could write to him
only with the assistance of one of her daughters. Rizal would have to go
to Paris and Germany to specialize in ophthalmology.

Ophthalmology studies and Travels in Europe

In 1885, after studying at the Universidad Central de Madrid, Rizal, who


was then 24 years old, went to Paris to acquire more knowledge in
ophthalmology. On February 3, 1886, after gathering some experiences in
ophthalmology, he left Paris and went to Heidelberg, Germany. Rizal had
studied the German language; attended lectures in ophthalmology as an
observer at the Alte Universitat (Germany’s oldest university founded in
1386) and trained under two outstanding ophthalmologists in the
university eye-clinic. For four months, he worked as an assistant in Dr.
Louise de Wecker's eye clinic. From Dr. de Wecker, Rizal learned the
actual performance of an eye operation, recent studies on the ailment of
the eyes and various techniques of eye operation.

REFERENCES
 Jose Rizal Online.
(n.d.). https://rizal.raphaelmarco.com/biography/education

 Filipinas Heritage Library | Rizal’s Education. (n.d.-


b). https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/rizals-
education/
 Jose Rizal’s Educational Background. (n.d.-b). The Jose
Rizal. https://joserizalproject.weebly.com/jose-rizalrsquos-
educational-background.html
 Jose Rizal’s Walking Tour Madrid | Philippine Embassy
Madrid. (n.d.). https://www.philembassymadrid.com/rizals-
madrid

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