"The Children Are The Hope of The Nation",: Ideas, Beliefs and Philosophies of Rizal

Group 4 - Escala, Go, Lee, Tan Casis, Tiong, J. Cheung, P.
Tiu, Villamor
Summative Assessment 6
The issue of education and youth are recurring themes in the philosophies and beliefs of
Jose Rizal and St. John Baptist De La Salle. Known popularly for the saying: “the children are
the hope of the nation”, Jose Rizal has made it a lifelong mission to push proper education and
peaceful reforms in undertaking the nation’s problems. Likewise, it is also in De La Salle’s
teachings to provide quality education to the youth, especially the lost, the last and the least.
While there has been some improvement towards the Philippine educational system, there still
remains evident flaws that have yet to be addressed. The documentary shows that despite
acknowledging the significance of education, there are still external factors that hinder the
youth from completely enjoying their freedom of education. In areas like Madibago, Zamboanga
del Norte, children who live below the poverty line could not afford a motorbike ride or a taxi,
and thus have to navigate through a dangerous shortcut: the life-threatening path through the
jungle. Climbing through the gigantic wall Pam-pang would be a daily feat for these children,
and it would be a greater feat when the Philippine weather changes into short, heavy rains.
Every day, these young students would risk their lives in order to attain the education that is
supposed to be the key to a better future. The question, then, is no longer the importance of
education to the youth, but whether or not it is accessible in the first place.
Ideas, beliefs and philosophies of Rizal
As a hero known for fighting the Spaniards through literacy and reforms, Rizal is a firm
believer that everyone should have the right to access quality education. With numerous titles
and achievements, Rizal has always considered education to be the cure for colonialism in the
Philippines. As quoted by Jose Rizal from La Solidaridad, “Without education and liberty, which
are the soil and the sun of man, no reform is possible , no measure can give the result desired.”
It was because during his time, the Spaniards controlled the education system in the
Philippines. The Spaniards instilled their agendas to downgrade the Filipinos which lowered their
human dignity and reduced them to the same level as animals. This is why Rizal believed in
modest education even if it is rudimentary or no matter how underdeveloped it might be, but if
it is the right education for the people not instilled with agendas and control, it would allow the
Filipinos to progress and eventually have the intelligence to undergo change for the better.
Having the opportunity to study and travel abroad, most of Rizal’s ideas were developed by
experiencing the different cultures, practices, and lifestyle overseas, which gave him an idea of
an ideal form of government, and education that he would like the Philippines to adapt. The
political, social, economic, religious, and ethical views of Jose Rizal revolved around uplifting the
situation of the country during that time, particularly the welfare of the Filipinos. These ideas
can be found in his speeches and his writings, wherein he deliberately elaborates and depicts
the abuses of the Spanish to the Filipinos, appealing for equality for the Filipinos. Through this,
he expressed his opposition against the Spaniards and conveyed his messages to the Filipinos,
hoping to inspire them. Although his ideas about revolution are quite similar to others, he
expressed it in a different way by utilizing his education abroad, his readings, and his affairs
with people from different cultures, formulating a new different concept of a more favorable
scenario for the Philippines and its people.
Ideas beliefs and philosophies of St. La Salle

As the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, St. La Salle dedicated most of
his life to bridging the gap in education for the people of France and around the world. St. La
Salle’s goal for finding these schools was to create equity between the citizens of France and
the world through equitable educational opportunities. Despite the status quo during his time,
St. La Salle insisted that everyone deserved to have a meaningful, useful school experience
regardless of their background or social class.
During the time of St. La Salle, the education was exclusively for the wealthy people.
Only few men were able to attend universities and subjects were being taught in Latin which
further limited the people who were able to get education. St. La Salle had realized that
education should not only be for the rich but it should be for everyone. Those who are not able
to get the education that they deserve are being cut off from the possible opportunities that
they may get. He left his comfortable life to devote his life in providing education to the poor.
St. La Salle was able to build his own school for the hundreds of students. He had a different
kind of system from the schools of the rich which sets his teaching style different from the
usual.
St. La Salle had believed that knowledge can be acquired more effectively through mere
experience of a person. He believed that students should be learning in a practical manner that
is why he urged his students to utilize the experiences from their communities and homes into
their everyday lives. St. La Salle also chose to teach the students in the language that they are
used to instead of teaching them in the language of the rich to further let the students
understand the lessons (Kalaw, 2018).
Through the Lasallian education, core principles are being instilled to the students to
enrich the call to action. Two of these principles are able to cater to the issues that the
documentary has shown. These principles are Concern for the Poor and Social Justice and
Respect for All Persons — Inclusive Community. The core principle of Concern for the Poor and
Social Justice targets the need to listen to the concerns of the impoverished. Initiatives must be
made in order to address these issues to eradicate poverty. The Inclusive Community principle
focuses on how valued and respected all lives must be.
Recommendation and Conclusion
Not everyone is given the equal opportunity of attaining education as seen in the
documentary. Other children have to go through dangerous lengths to at least reach the school
and go back home while there are some who cannot go to school at all. Not only does St. La
Salle and Rizal hold the same beliefs on the importance of education in the youth, but also their
initiative to respond to the problem. Both have gone out of their way to provide resources and
opportunities for the poor and needy. Following their example, the Philippines as a nation must
continue to strive for a more inclusive education system. In a wider perspective, educational
attainment must be a focus of concern in the government, where subsidies or programs are set
that provide transportation to and from school for the impoverished. Not only should these
problems be left to the government to handle, but smaller scale actions by the people may also
be done. Where both uphold the core value of Concern for the Poor, the simple actions of
donating funds and resources for the poor can help tackle poverty.
Education is considered the door to many opportunities and is a necessity for a society
to function and change for the better. St. La Salle and Rizal actively advocated for such and
because of their continuous dedication, many have been able to experience the right to
education. However, the Philippines is far from perfect where many are still unable to go to
school or have to sacrifice their life to get there. St. La Salle and Rizal then become a role
model on how one must act in response to their people’s needs. It calls for each one to realize
the importance of educational inclusivity and act upon it whether it be through small or large
means.
References
Kalaw, M. T. (2018, June 29). Motivational Factors and Teaching Philosophies of Education
Students: Realizing the Vision of the Founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Retrieved
from
https://axis.smumn.edu/2018/06/29/motivational-factors-and-teaching-philosophies-of-ed
ucation-students-realizing-the-vision-of-the-founder-saint-john-baptist-de-la-salle/

"The Children Are The Hope of The Nation",: Ideas, Beliefs and Philosophies of Rizal

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

"The Children Are The Hope of The Nation",: Ideas, Beliefs and Philosophies of Rizal

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

"The Children Are The Hope of The Nation",: Ideas, Beliefs and Philosophies of Rizal

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Group 4 - Escala, Go, Lee, Tan Casis, Tiong, J. Cheung, P.

Ideas, beliefs and philosophies of Rizal

Ideas beliefs and philosophies of St. La Salle

Recommendation and Conclusion

You might also like