Jose Rizal's life in Ateneo and UST

1. RIZAL
HIGHER
EDUCATION
UST &ATENEO

2. 2
ATENEO

3. 3
SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPS AT ATENEO DE
MANILA (1872-1877)
Jose was sent to Manila four months after the
martyrdom of GomBurZa and with Dona Teodora
still in prison. He studied in the Ateneo Municipal,,
a college under the supervision of the Spanish
Jesuits
Bitter rival of the Dominican-owned College of
San Juan de Letran
Formerly the Escuela Pia(Charity School)- for poor
boys in Manila established in 1817
In 1859- name was changed to Ateneo Municipaly
the Jesuits and later became the Ateneo de Manila

4. Rizal’s Enter at Ateneo
⬗ June 10, 1872- Jose, accompanied by Paciano, went to
Manila to take the entrance examinations on Christian
Doctrine,arithmetic, and reading at the College of San Juan
de Letran, and passed them.
⬗ His father was the first one who wishedhim to study at
Letran but he changed his mind and decided to send Jose at
Ateneo instead
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5. Rizal’s Enter at Ateneo
⬗ Father Magin Ferrando, college registrar of Ateneo
Municipal, refused to admit Jose because:
• He was late for registration and;
• He was sickly and undersized for his age (11 years
old)
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6. Rizal’s Enter at Ateneo
⬗ Upon the intercession of Manuel Xeres Burgos, nephew of
Father Burgos, he was admitted at Ateneo.
• Jose adopted the surname Rizal´ at the Ateneo because
their family name Mercado´ had come under suspicion of
the Spanish authorities.
• Ateneo was located in Intramuros, within the walls of
Manila. He boarded in a house on Caraballo Street, 25 min
walk from the college.
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7. JESUITS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
⬗ Upon the intercession of Manuel Xeres Burgos, nephew of
Father Burgos, he was admitted at Ateneo.
• Jose adopted the surname Rizal´ at the Ateneo because
their family name Mercado´ had come under suspicion of
the Spanish authorities.
• Ateneo was located in Intramuros, within the walls of
Manila. He boarded in a house on Caraballo Street, 25 min
walk from the college.
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8. JESUITS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
⬗ Jesuits trained the character of the student by rigid
discipline, humanities and religious instruction. They heard
Mass earlyin the morning before the beginning of daily
class. Classes were opened and closed with prayers
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9. JESUITS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
Students were divided into two groups:
⬗ Roman Empire
⬗ Carthaginian Empire
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10. JESUITS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
Each empire had its rank. Students fought for positions, with 3
mistakes, opponents position could lose his position.
1st Best: Emperor
2nd Best: Tribune
3rd Best: Decurion
4th Best: Centurion
5th Best: Standard - Bearer
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11. RIZAL’S FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO(1872-1873)
Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech.
• Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class since he was a
newcomer and knows little Spanish.
• He was an externo (Carthaginians), occupying the end of
the line. But at the end of the month, he become emperor´
of his Empire.
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12. RIZAL’S FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO(1872-1873)
• He was the brightest pupil in the whole class, and he was
awarded a prize, a religious prize
• Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during
noon recesses to improve his Spanish language paying
three pesos for those extra lessons.
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13. Summer Vacation
• Rizal didn’t enjoy his summer because his mother was in
prison so Neneng(Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan.
• But without telling his father, he went to Santa Cruz to visit
her mother in prison. He told her of his brilliant grades.
• After summer, he returned to Manila and now boarded
inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. Dona Pepay,
who had a widowed daughter and 4 sons, was his landlady.
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14. 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 by Alexander Dumas -the first
favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep impression on him
 Universal History by 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-traveler who visited the
Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines
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15. 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 by Alexander Dumas -the first
favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep impression on him
 Universal History by 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-traveler who visited the
Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines
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16. THIRD YEAR IN ATENEO (1873- 1874)
• Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one
medal—in Latin
• At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to
Calamba for the summer vacation. He himself was not impressed
by his scholastic work.
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17. FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO (1873- 1874)
• June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo
• 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 Jesuiot professor as “model of
uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his
pupils”
• Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals
at the end of the school term.
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18. LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1873- 1874)
• Rizal- The most brilliant Atenean of his time, and was truly ³the
pride of the Jesuits •
• Graduate with Highest Honor
• March 23, 1877- Rizal, 16 years old, received from his Alma
Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with
highest honors
• The night before graduation, he could not sleep. Early morning on
the day of his graduation, he prayed to the Virgin to commend his
life and protect him as he step into the world.
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19. EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN ATENEO
• He was an active member, later secretary, of Marian Congregation
a religious society. He was accepted because of his academic
brilliance and devotion to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, the
college patroness.
• He is also a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the
Academy of Natural Sciences.
• He studied painting under Agustin Saez, a famous painter, and
sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus. He continued his physical
training under his sports-minded Tio Manuel.
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20. 20
U S T

21. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Undecided
Rizal, upon entering the university, was not certain which course
of study he wanted to pursue. The Jesuit priests who had been his
former mentors had advised him to take up farming, or to join the
order and be a man of the cloth.
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22. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Undecided
However, his tastes went towards law, literature, or medicine. In
the end, he decided to sign up for Philosophy and Letters during
his freshman year because of the following reasons:
1. It was what his father would have wanted for him.
2. He had failed to seek the advice of the rector of the Ateneo,
Father Ramon Pablo.
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23. Rizal at the University of Santo
Tomas 1877-1882
As part of the course, he had to
complete units in the following
subjects:
1. Cosmology and
Metaphysics
2. Theodicy
3. History of
Philosophy
His report card was very
impressive:
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24. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Shifting to Medicine
After completing his first year, Rizal decided to take up medicine as
his university course. This change of heart was due to two factors:
◇ Father Ramon Pablo, rector of the Ateneo, had advised him to
pursue the course.
◇ Rizal's mother had failing eyesight and he thought he owed it
to her to become a doctor and cure her condition.
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25. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Rizal's performance at the University of Santo Tomas was
not as excellent as his time at the Ateneo. His grades after
shifting to medicine had suffered as well:
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27. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Why the poor performance?
Unfortunately, Rizal was not happy at UST and this
reflected on his grades (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). There were
three main factors that contributed to his unhappiness at the
university, namely:
1. The Dominican professors were hostile to him.
2. Filipino students suffered discrimination.
3. The method of instruction at UST was obsolete and
repressive.
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28. Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas 1877-1882
⬗ Likewise, there were three main reasons for his struggling
academic performance (Guerrero, 1998):
1. Rizal was not satisfied with the system of education at
the university.
2. There were plenty of things to distract a young man in
the peak of his youth.
3. Medicine was not Rizal's true vocation.
⬗ He would later find out that his real calling was in the arts,
not in medicine.
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29. Rizal was not satisfied with the system of
education at the university
⬗ In the Ateneo, Jesuit professors were encouraging and
understanding. This motivated Rizal to develop his skills and
talents.
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30. Rizal was not satisfied with the system of
education at the university
⬗ The Dominican system was obsolete and repressive.
◇ Rizal stressed this in the El Filibusterismo, through Father
Millon, the professor in Physics and Placido Penitente, one
of the Filipino students under him. Rizal, through the character
of Placido Penitente, expressed how he disapproved of how
instruction in science was done in the university and how
Spanish professors treated Filipino students who had the
potential to excel in class. (This is no longer true today,
considering that UST is one of the best universities in the
country) [Garcia, et.al., 2011]
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31. There were plenty of things to distract a young man
in the peak of his youth
⬗ Rizal became fascinated with women during this time, as any
young man would.
◇ Segunda Katigbak
◇ Leonor Valenzuela
◇ Leonor Rivera
⬗ Some historians point out that Rizal "joined parties, took part
in gang fights and even cut classes." [Garcia, et.al., 2011]
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