Jose Rizal in Dapitan:

An Educator for the

Masses

GROUP 2
The Right to Education
Seeing the condition of the people made Rizal conclude
that education should be top priority. Unless education
was wrested away from the hands of the friars, the
school, instead of becoming an instrument of liberation,
will continue to be used as an instrument of enslavement.
Jose Rizal as an Education was the primordial concern of
Jose Rizal. it had been his life long concern
Educator
of the preparation for the attainment of
independence.

John Schumacher aptly puts it: "education is

the key to understanding much of Rizal's
career, for his whole career was bound up
with education-his own education and the
education of his own people."
In El Filibusterismo, Rizal stated: “With Spain or without
Spain, they would always be the same, and perhaps
worse! Why independence, if the slaves today will be the
tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to
be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” Rizal
believed in the effectivity of education as a solution to the
social, political and economic problems of the country. He
was convinced that reforms were possible through
education and liberty.
One of the significant contributions of Rizal
to the cause of human rights in his defense
to the right of the Filipinos to quality
education. Rizal wrote to Blumentritt: “We
are struggling for our rights, the rights for
humanity, and if there is a God, he will have
to help us… Spain cannot justify even in the
name of God himself that six million Filipinos
be brutalized, exploited, oppressed, denying
them rights and afterwards heap upon them
contempt and insult”
In defending the right of the Filipinos to education Rizal
appealed to the good sense of the Spanish authorities not
to be begrudge the education of the Filipinos. In another
letter of Rizal to Blumentritt, Rizal said: “We believe that
the cause of our backwardness is and ignorance is the
lack of means of education. We are all human and we can
improve ourselves through education and culture.”
Rizal expressed his desire to found a school
to carry out his aspirations for the Filipinos:
“When we shall have obtained this
(Philippine representation in the Spanish
Cortes) concession, then we shall rest and
devote our strength to the education of our
people which is my supreme aspiration.”
The right to the education is now enshrined
in the historic Universal Declaration of
Human Rights to which the Philippines is one
of the 48 original signatories.
The declaration guarantees that education should be free
at least in the elementary and fundamental stages;
elementary education shall be compulsory; technical and
professional education shall be equally accessible to all in
the basis of merit. It also declares that education shall be
directed to the full development of the human personality
and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind
of education that shall be given to their
children. The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights proclaims the value of the human
person and the right to education that would
enable him to develop his creative powers to
the full benefit of all and in the cause of
progress.
Rizal While in Dapitan
He lives at the commandant's office
He bought a piece of land in Talisay near Dapitan.
He built three house all made of bamboo, wood and
nipa.
Since boyhood Rizal knew the value of good education.
During his travels abroad he observed the educational
system of modern nations.
He himself planned to establish’ a
modern college in Hong Kong for Filipino
boys so that he could train them in
modern pedagogical concepts, which
were then unknown in the Philippines.
His exile to Dapitan gave him the
opportunity to put into practice his
educational ideas. In 1893 he
established a school which existed until
the end of his exile in July, 1896.
It began with three pupils and in the course of time
the enrolment increased to 16 and later to 21.
In his letter to Bluementritt on March 13, Rizal said that
he had 16 pupils in his school and that these pupils
did not pay any tuition.
Instead of charging them tuition fees, he made them
work in his garden, fields, and construction projects
in the community.
Rizal taught his boys reading, writing, languages
(Spanish and English), geography, history,
mathematics (arithmetic and geometry), industrial
work, nature study, morals, and gymnastics.
He trained them how to collect specimens of plants
and animals, to love work, and to “believe like men”
Formal classes were conducted between 2:00 pm and
4:00 pm.
Rizal, the teacher, sat on a hammock,
while the pupils sat on long bamboo
bench.
On one day the lessons were conducted
in Spanish; on the next day, in English.
As in the Ateneo, the best pupil was
called “emperor” and he sat at the head
of the bench; the poorest pupil occupied
the end of the bench.
During the recess the pupils built fires in the garden
to drive away the insects, pruned the fruit rees, and
manured the soil
Outside the class hours, Rizal encouraged them to
play games in order to strengthen their bodies. They
had gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, stone-throwing,
swimming, arnis (native fencing), and boating.
“Hymn to Talisay” Rizal conducted his
school at his home in Talisay, near
Dapitan, where he had his farm and
hospital. His favorite rendezvous with
his boys was under a talisay tree, after
which the place was named.

In honor of Talisay, he wrote a poem

entitled “Himno A Talisay” for his pupils
to sing.
 Thank you!
For listening