RIZAL’S EDUCATION

Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother, who had taught him how to read and pray and who had
encouraged him to write poetry. Later, private tutors taught the young Rizal Spanish and Latin,
before he was sent to a private school in Biñan.
When he was 11 years old, Rizal entered the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. 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.
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. Upon learning that his
mother was going blind, Rizal opted to study ophthalmology at the UST Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery. He, however, was not able to complete the course because “he became politically
isolated by adversaries among the faculty and clergy who demanded that he assimilate to their
system.”
Without the knowledge of his parents, Rizal traveled to Europe in May 1882. According to his
biographer, Austin Craig, Rizal, “in order to obtain a better education, had had to leave his
country stealthily like a fugitive from justice, and his family, to save themselves from
persecution, were compelled to profess ignorance of his plans and movements. His name was
entered in Santo Tomas at the opening of the new term, with the fees paid, and Paciano had gone
to Manila pretending to be looking for this brother whom he had assisted out of the country.
Rizal earned a Licentiate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he also took
courses in philosophy and literature. It was in Madrid that he conceived of writing Noli Me
Tangere. He also attended the University of Paris and, in 1887, completed his eye specialization
course at the University of Heidelberg. It was also in that year that Rizal’s first novel was
published (in Berlin).
Rizal is said to have had the ability to master various skills, subjects, and languages. Our national
hero was also a doctor, farmer, naturalist (he discovered the Draco rizali, a small lizard;
Apogania rizali, a beetle; and the Rhacophorus rizali, a frog), writer, visual artist, athlete (martial
arts, fencing, and pistol shooting), musician, and social scientist.

THE TRAVELS OF RIZAL

Rizal was actively involved in the Propaganda movement, composed of Filipinos in Spain who
sought to direct the attention of Spaniards to the concerns of the Spanish colony in the
Philippines. He wrote articles for publications in Manila and abroad; convened with overseas
Filipinos to discuss their duty to the country; and called on Spanish authorities to institute
reforms in the Philippines, such as granting freedom of the press and Filipino representation in
the Spanish Cortes.
Rizal returned to Manila in August 1887, after five years in Europe. However, his homecoming
was met by the friars’ furor over Noli Me Tangere. The Archbishop of Manila issued an order
banning the possession and reading of the novel, an order that was later reinforced by the
governor-general. Six months later, pressured by the Spanish authorities as well as by his family
and friends to leave the country and avoid further persecution, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong.
From Hong Kong, Rizal traveled to Macau and Japan before going to America. Entering San
Francisco, California, in April 1888, he visited the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska,
Illinois, and New York. He jotted down his observations of the landscape in his diary.
Rizal arrived in England in May 1888. In August, he was admitted to the British Museum, where
he copied Antonio de Morga’s massive study of the Philippines, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas,
which Rizal later annotated for publication “as a gift to the Filipinos.” In the museum he devoted
his time reading all the sources on Philippine history that he could find. He kept up his
correspondence with various people, including his family, who were being oppressed by the
Spanish religious landowners; the Filipino patriots in Spain; and his Austrian friend, Ferdinand
Blumentritt, with whom he planned to form an association of Philippine scholars. From 1888 to
1890 he shuttled between London and Paris, where he wrote ethnographic and history-related
studies, as well as political articles. He also frequently visited Spain, where he met with fellow
Filipino intellectuals like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena.
 Jose Rizal’s contribution to the development of Philippine agriculture
Jose Rizal is unlikely to be forgotten in Philippine history books. He has been instrumental in the
Filipino’s bid towards independence and several developments in various sectors. Rizal also
made contributions to Philippine art, literature, and medicine, which continues to fascinate his
countrymen today.

Rizal’s love for the Philippines was evident in nearly all his actions. He was eventually named a
national hero because of his efforts, especially his peaceful approach to demanding political
reform from the oppressive Spanish rule. Aside from dabbling in the different fields of science,
Rizal also showed an interest in agriculture.
Eufemio O. Agbayani III, historic sites development officer of the Historic Sites and Education
Division for the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), shares that Rizal’s
early exposure to farming played a role in this.
The national hero came from a family who rented land from the Dominicans to plant sugar, a
profitable crop at the time. His family experiences allowed him a glimpse of a farmer’s life.
Rizal, at some point in his life, was also encouraged to become a licensed land surveyor.
Although Rizal was attracted to medicine, he also had an early interest in agriculture. There’s
even a record of how he lamented to his parents on the lack of individuals who wanted to
become experts in the field. And as he ventured abroad to further his studies, Rizal would send
back names of books that he thought would benefit Philippine agriculture.