Education for Rizal, Education for me

Every now and then my parents keep on telling me that my education should be in the number one slot in my list of priorities. They keep on telling me that I should put a great deal on finishing my studies. They say (like every parents say), it is the only thing they could leave to us when they pass away. So, without thinking about it thoroughly, this idea was instilled in my mind right away. But now that we were asked to write our idea about education and relate it with Rizals, this may serve as an opportunity for me to assess and reinforce this thought.

As what the books say, the importance of education is quite clear. Education is the knowledge of putting one’s potentials to maximum use. One can safely say that a human being is not in the proper sense till he is educated. The training of a human mind is not complete without education. Education makes man a right thinker. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. Only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world; to acquaint himself with past history and receive all necessary information regarding the present. Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world.

The thought that education is indeed very critical for a nation to be at its best is not new to us. Right? Even our national hero has a say on this. In his works and writings, his educational philosophy is the most emphasized. Philosophy may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate reality or causes of things as they affect life.

Rizals concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled Instruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. He maintained that the backwardness of his country during the Spanish era was not due to the Filipinos indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of the Spanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to develop the peoples mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country be saved from domination.

Rizals philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order to strengthen the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal.

Another thing, Rizal also sees education as the basis for his idea of an ideal Filipino. We can even observe in all his works and writings education plays a very important role. His characters are greatly shaped by education. For instance, in his Noli Me Tangere, the character of Crisostomo Ibarra, the elements of knowledge and education is clearly depicted. This is the reason why it is said that Ibarra is the character representation of Jose Rizal. He used education as a means towards attaining his aim of Philippine independence.

Upon searching for our report in PI which is the Second Wave of Rizals Travels, I came across his letter to the women of Malolos. This letter is a way of extending his admiration to the said women. This also make my previous statements true, Rizal really puts much value on education. In this letter of his, Rizal pleads to the mothers for them to teach their children to love our mother nation and to fight for our liberty. Through this end also, our children will be able to acquire their worthy education.

The thoughts of Rizal on education and how he used it as weapon for attaining Philippines independence made me realize its true meaning and importance. I remember, when I was still young, education for me is being able to go to school, nothing more. But it is a whole heap more. Education is a word with too many dimensions, too many to mention.

Education plays an important role in the progress of an individuals mind and country. Ignorance and poverty are major speed-breakers in the swift developing country and can be overcome easily through education. You cant really call yourself educated if you can read and write or get flat 1s in every subject. A person who is educated has a certain atmosphere around him, of dignity and wisdom. If you are educated, you dont need to abide by the facts that the book recites, or follow Aristotles philosophy. Like Jose Rizal, an educated person builds on the facts the book says and has his own philosophy. If you are educated, you cant have a wrong philosophy. Education is everything. People are made aware of what is going on in the wide world and can understand these issues and take necessary measures.

The quality of human resource of a nation is easily judged by the number of literate population living in it. This is to say that education is a must if a nation aspires to achieve growth and development and more importantly sustain it. This may well explain the fact that rich and developed nations of the world have very high literacy rate and productive human resource. In fact these nations have started imparting selective training and education programs so as to meet the new technical and business demands of the 21st century. The importance of education cannot be neglected by any nation. And in todays world, the role of education has become even more vital. It is an absolute necessity for economic and social development of any nation.

Source:Life, Ideas, and Works or Rizal by Zalde