LESSON 5:
RIZAL'S LIFE:
HIGHER EDUCATION
LET’S START:
Rizal’s Higher Education
A. Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo de Manila
Ateneo Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits.
Escuela Pia (Charity School) – formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys
in Manila which was established by the city government 1817.
June 10, 1872 – Rizal was accompanied by Paciano on his way to Manila.
Father Magin Ferrano – he was the college registrar, who refused to admit Rizal
in Ateneo for two reason:
a) he was late or registration
b) he was sickly and undersized for his age.
Manuel Xerez Burgos – because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos,
Rizal was reluctantly admitted Ateneo.
He registered Rizal as his surname since Mercado was suspected by the
Spanish authorities.
Rizal was first board in a house outside in Caraballo Street. This was owned by a
spinster named Titay who owed the family the amount of 300 pesos.
Jesuits System Of Education
It trained the character of the students by rigid discipline and religious
instructions.
Students were divided into two groups:
Roman Empire – consisting of internos (boarders); red banner.
Carthaginian Empire – composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner.
Intelligence distribution:
Emperor – 1st
Tribune – 2nd
Decurion - 3rd
Centurion – 4th
Stand – 5th
FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO (1872-1973)
To improve his Spanish, he took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during
noon recess. He paid three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons.
Father Jose Bech – Rizal‘s first professor in Ateneo.
A Religious picture – a Rizal‘s first prize for being brightest pupil in the whole
class.
At the end of the school year in March, 1873, he returned to Calamba for
summer vacation.
When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year
term in Ateneo. This time he boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes
Street. His landlady was an old widow name Doña Pepay.
SECOND YEAR IN ATENEO (1873-1874)
At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and
a gold medal.
The Count of Monte Cristo –(Alexander Dumas) – the first favourite novel of
Rizal which made a deep impression on him.
Universal History (Cesar Cantu) – Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set
of historical work that was a great aid in his studies.
Dr. Feodor Jagor – a German scientist-traveller who visited the Philippines 1859-
1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines. He was impressed in this book
because;
1) Jagor’s keen observation of the defects of Spanish colonization, and,
2) his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that
America would come to succeed her as colonizer.
THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO (1874-1876)
Rizal's grades remained excellent in all subjects but e won only one medal –
Latin.
At the end of the school year, Rizal‘s returned to Calamba for the vacation. He
himself was not impressed by his scholastic work.
Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez – a great educator and scholar, one of
Rizal‘s professors who inspired him to study harder and to write poetry. Rizal
described this Jesuit professor as ―model of uprightness, earnestness, and love
for the advancement of his pupils.
Rizal excelled in all subjects. He is the most brilliant Atenean of his time, he was
truly the pride of the Jesuits.
March 23, 1877 – Commencement Day, Rizal who was 15 years old, received
from his Alma Mater; the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honour.
B. Medical Studies in University of Santo Tomas
April 1877 – he enrolled in the UST taking Philosophy and Letters because;
1) his father like it,
2) he was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”.
After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878).
He transferred to the medical course.
During Rizal‘s first school term in the UST, Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He took
the vocational course leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert surveyor).
While at UST, he fell in love with three women. During his first year, he fell in
love with a woman simply called “Miss L”, a woman with a fair, seductive and
attractive eyes. The romance dead a natural death because Rizal‘s father did not
like the family of Miss L.
During his sophomore year, he courted Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl with regal
bearing. Rizal sent her love notes in invisible ink.
During his junior year, Rizal had romance with Leonor Rivera, of Camiling,
Tarlac. Leonor was a pretty girl and a students of La Concordia Colllege. Both
Rizal and Leonor were engaged, he used the sign name Taimis to cover their
relationship from their parents.
Rizal studied in UST from 1878-1882. his grade in Medicine consists of 2
excellent, 3 very good, 8 good, and 2 fair (physics and general pathology). His
grades in UST College of Medicine were not as impressive as what he got at
Ateneo Philosophy and Letters due to the hostility of the Dominican professors.
Accordingly, laboratory equipment's are just for display and racial discrimination
against the Filipino students.
A La Juventud (To the Filipino Youth) – at 18, submitted tis poem, it is inspiring
poem of flawless form. This poem won as a classic Filipino literature because it
was a great poem in Spanish written by the Filipino, whose merit was recognized
by Spanish literary authorities,
Compañerismo (Comradeship) – Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino
students in UST 1880.
Galicano Apacible – Rizal‘s cousin from Batangas who is the secretary of the
society.
UNHAPPY DAYS IN UST
Rizal found the atmosphere at the UST suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was
unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because
1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him
2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated by the Spaniards
3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.
In Rizal novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were
humiliated and insulted by their Dominican professors and how backward the
method of instruction was, especially in the teaching of the natural sciences
You will never always be motivated so you must learn to be disciplined.
- Unknown
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EXCELLENCE IN
THIS LESSON!
REFERENCES:
Couse Syllabus
Tabotabo, C.V. and R.D. Leano (2009) Jose P. Rizal: A Hero’s Life. Manila.
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Ariola, Mariano M. (2013). Life, works, and writings of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Manila:
Purely Books
Trading and Publishing Corp.Atienza, Glecy C., Bernales, Rolando A., Celebre,
Roberto Baltazar S., Lacsamana, Liodevico C.,
and Talegon, Vivencio M. Jr. (2008).Jose Rizal: ang pambansang bayani.
Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Pasigui, Ronnie E. & Cabalu, Danilo H. (2014). Jose Rizal: The Man and the
Hero (Chronicles, Legacies, and Controversies). [2nd Ed].Quezon City: C & E
Publishing Inc.
Valenzuela, Edwin E. (2014). Rizal and other heroes: their relevance in modern
Filipino nationalism. Manila: Unlimited Books Library Services and Publishing
Inc.
