Rizal Course is mandated by law under Republic Act 1425, authored and fought for by Claro M. Recto. R.A. 1425 is also known as the Rizal Law.
The law has three major provisions: First, it directs educational agencies such as the Department of Education and the Commission of Higher Education to include in the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities, public or private, the study of the life of our national hero, with emphasis on the original or unexpurgated versions of the Noli and El Fili.
Second, it obliges all the libraries of all schools, colleges and universities to maintain an adequate number of copies of Noli and El Fili in their collections as well as other materials related to the life of Rizal.
Third, it directs the Board of National Education to take charge of the translation, reproduction and distribution of printed copies of Rizal’s novels to interested parties through purok organizations and barangay councils, free of charge.