RIZAL AND HIS THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
INTRODUCTION
(1st slide)
o Education is a very important value that we Filipinos have.
Aside from education enhances our intellect and give us opportunities to pursue our careers and
occupations, it also brings a person to a respectable social status like when we get a degree or a
job that makes us successful. People are more likely to respect us.
However, since we’re talking about Rizal. You probably guys know already that
o Filipinos at the time of Rizal did not have the same educational system that we have now.
Because our education system today, gives us or all students a freedom and rights. All Filipinos
rich and poor have opportunities to go to school. Not just opportunities but the rights na lahat
dapat ng bata nasa eskwelahan or nag aaral. We even have these facilities, these materials, a
lot of professors, and etc. And their education system before was based on Spanish System and
the language they used in communicating is Spanish aside from tagalog pag Filipino kausap nila.
On the other hand, our education system now is based on American System which was
instituted right after the United States took over the country from Spain. They used English as a
medium of teaching instead of the pre-existing Spanish language that’s why we Filipinos today
speak English instead of Spanish
(1nd slide) Before we start with our topic. Let’s a have a short background about Philippines education or
how does Spanish change the educational system here in our country simula nung sinakop nila tayo.
(2rd slide) (Pictures) So, during the Pre-Hispanic times their education was fit for their needs. There was
no formal schooling and the teaching medium before was oral, practical and hands-on. But then, during
the Spanish colonization the education system underwent major changes.
The tribal tutors were replaced by the Spanish Missionaries.
The friars establish parochial schools linked with churches to teach catechism to the natives and they
are the one who managed, supervised, and controlled it. The focus of education during the Spanish
Colonization of the Philippines was mainly religious education.
(3rd slide) As what you can see here in our presentation yan yung mga changes that Spanish or friars
brough to our motherland more specifically in terms of academic or education.
SPANIS MISSIONARIES
o Education was “religion-centered”
o Education for the elite only
o Spanish is compulsory (mandatory or required by law)
o Boys’ and girls’ school are separated
o Inadequate, suppressed and controlled
TRIBAL TUTORS
o Education was informal and unstructured
o Children were provided with vocational training and less academics by parents and
houses of tribal tutors
As we go along, we will try to see how important education is for the society & for Rizal.
(6th slide) Philippines was home to the first modern public schooling system in Asia. It is also home to the
oldest universities, colleges, and vocational schools.
Did Spain try to improve the condition of educational system in the Philippines?
o Educational Decree of 1863
o Moret Decree of 1870
Actually, based on what I’ve found out it’s a Yes. Spain tried to improve the condition of educational
system in the Philippines. Spain’s efforts to reform the educational system consisted of these two
important decrees on education: Education Decree of 1863 and Moret Decree of 1870.
For almost three hundred years simula nung sinakop ng Spain ang Pilipinas, there was no systematic
government supervision of schools. The schools were free na mag gawa ng sarili nilang curriculum at
magkaron ng sarili nilang standards or qualification para sa mga teachers.
But the most serious criticism against the system were: the overemphasis on religious matters, the
obsolete teaching methods, the limited curriculum, the very poor classroom facilities, the absence of
teaching materials, such as books. Primary education was neglected; the absence of academic freedom,
the prejudice against Filipinos in the schools of higher learning, and the friar control over the system
were also reported.
What happened before was that friars inevitably occupied a dominant position in the Philippine
educational system for religion was the main subject in the schools. While their teaching religion
ineemphasize rin nila ang fear of God and obedience to the friars. Students or people before were
constantly reminded that they have inferior intelligence and fit only for manual labors.
The absence of academic freedom in Spain’s educational system ay umabot na sa mga schools that the
Spaniards established in the Philippines. Learning in every level was largely by rote. Students memorized
and repeated the contents of the book which they did not understand. In most cases knowledge was
measured in terms of the ability of the students to memorize.
Noong 1855 na realized ng mga Spaniards na kailangan nilang may tayo ng system of pubic education for
indios. That year Governor Crespo organized a commission para pag aralan and hanapan ng solusyon
para iimprove yung elementary education sa bansa. The commission completed its work after six years
and in 1861 naibigay sa spain ang report..
On the basis of this report and its recommendations, the Educational Decree of December 20 1863 was
issued. Under this decree, it mandated each major town in the Philippines to establish at least one
primary school for boys and another for girls. Teachers of the primary schools were trained at a normal
school for men opened in 1865. Placed under the supervision of the Jesuits, this school started as the
escuela Normal Elemental and by 1893 it was training male teachers for work in the secondary schools.
Spanish was to be the medium of instruction in all schools.
The Decree of 1863 was a breakthrough in the educational history of the Philippines under Spain.
Because this decree asked, for government supervision in public schools, as well as a training school for
teachers.
Absurdly, the friars assigned to implement the educational reforms, however they did not agree with
the teaching of the Spanish language. For them, teaching the indios the native language of the Spaniards
would increase their knowledge and encourage the people to clash with the Spanish rule. Wherein
they’re aware that an enlightened people could not be kept long in subjugation or under control.
The Filipinos must therefore be kept in the dark so that they would remain isolated from the intellectual
ferment of the times; otherwise, they might be inspired by the new ideas of freedom and independence.
The government’s support of this friar attitude is understandable, for the interest of Spain and the
Spaniards were at stake. This explains why books read by Filipino people had to pass though rigid
censorship by church authorities as well as the government.
Safeguarding the interest of Spain called for the friars' opposition to all initiatives that offered growth
for the Philippines educational system. The measure undertaken by the friars upang maprotektahan ang
mga interest ng Spaniards' was the censorship of books and teaching materials that might defy (oppose)
the church and the Spanish government.
Friars blocked the enforcement of the Madrid orders regarding education. A case in point was the Moret
Decree in 1870, which intended to secularize higher education in the colony. The friars strongly opposed
the idea of government control over higher education in the Philippines. This bitter opposition, coupled
with the political developments in Spain, made the implementation of the Moret Decree impossible
Such corrupt conditions in education urged Rizal and some of his fellow ilustrados to continue their
studies abroad. Students fought for their right to freedom of education and for equality in the
educational system between the Spaniards and the Filipinos as regards quality of learning.
The biases in the educational system encouraged the students to petition in 1870 led by Felipe
Buencamino at the University of Santo Tomas. Inspired by the Moret Decree, the students circulated
anonymous letters that criticized the Dominican methods of instruction, demanded better professors,
and government control of the university, and suggested keeping the university updated on academic
developments in Spain. Authorities considered such petition as an act of rebellion against the King of
Spain, and petitioners were sought, but nobody was hurt during the heat of such issue. When the social,
political, and intellectual dissatisfaction became prevalent in the Philippines, Spain could not initiate the
much-needed reforms because she was harassed by her own impassive resistance to the developing
economic and industrial progress of the other European countries.
