THE CODE OF ETHICS
FOR PROFESSIONAL
TEACHERS
Prepared by:
IRENE O.
MAMITES
Resolution No. 435
SERIES OF 1997
Pursuant to the provisions of Paragraph
(e), Article II, of RA No. 7836, otherwise
known as the “Philippines Teachers
Professionalization Act of 1994” and
Paragraph (a), Section 6, P.D. No. 223, as
amended, the Board for Professional
Teachers hereby adopts and prumolgates the
following ”Code of Ethics for Professional
Teachers”.
PREAMBLE
Teachers are duly licensed professionals who
possess dignity and reputation with high moral
values as well as technical and professional
competence. In the practice of their noble
profession, they strictly adhere to, observe, and
practice this set of ethical and moral principles,
standards and values.
ARTICLE I
Scope and Limitations
Section 1. The Philippine Constitution provides that all
educational institutions shall offer quality education for all
Filipino citizens a vision that requires professionally competent
teachers committed to is full realization . The provisions of this
Code shall apply, therefore to all teachers in all schools in the
Philippines.
Section 2. This Code covers all public and private school
teachers in all educational institutions at the preshool, primary,
elementary, and secondary levels whether academic,
vocational, special, technical or non-formal.
ARTICLE II
The Teacher and the State
Section 1. The school are the nurseries of the citizens of the state. Each
teacher is a trustee of the cultural and educational heritage of the nation
and is under obligation to transmit to learners such heritage as well as to
elevate national morality, promote national pride, cultivate love of country,
instill allegiance to the Constitution and respect for all duty constituted
authorities, and promote obedience to the laws of the state.
Section 2. Every teacher or school official such actively help carry out the
declared policies of the state, and shall take an oath to this effect.
Section 3. In the interest of the State to the Filipino people as much as of his
own, every teacher shall pysically, mentally, and morally fit.
Section 4. Every teacher shall possess and actualize full commitment and
devotion to duty.
Section 5. A teacher shall not engage in the promotion of any political ,
religious, or other partisan interest, and shall not, directly, or indirectly,
solicit, require, collect , or receive any money, service, other valuable
material from any person or entity for such purposes.
Section 6. Every teacher shall vote and shall exercise all other constitutional
rights and responsibilities.
Section 7. A teacher shall not use his position or official authority of influence
to coerce any other person to follow any political course of action.
Section 8. Every teacher shall enjoy academic freedom and shall have the
priviledge of sharing the product of his researches and investigations,
provided that, if the results are inimical to the declared policies of the
State, they shall be drawn to the proper authorities for appropriate remedial
action.
ARTICLE III
The Teacher and the Community
Section 1. A teacher is a facilitator of learning and of the development of the
youth; he shall, therefore, render the best services by providing an
environment conducive to such learning and growth.
Section 2. Every teacher shall provide leadership and initiative to actively
participate in community movements for moral, social, educational,
economic and civic betterment.
Section 3. Every teacher shall merit reasonable social recognition for which
purpose he shall behave with honor and dignity at all times and refrain from
such activities as gambling, smoking, drunkenness and other excess, much
less illicit relations.
Section 4. Every teacher shall help the school keep the people in the
community and shall, therefore, study and understand local customs and
traditions in order to have a sympathetic attitude, therefore, refrain from
disparaging the community.
Section 5. Every teacher shall help the school keep the people in the
community informed about the school’s works and accomplishments as well
as its needs and problems.
Section 6. Every teacher is an intellectual leader in the community, especially
in the barangay, and shall welcome the opportunity to provide such
leadership when needed, to extend counseling services, as appropriate, and
to actively be involved in matters affecting the welfare of the people.
Section 7. Every teacher shall maintain harmonious and pleasant personal and
official relations with other professionals, with government officials, and
with the people, individually or collectively.
Section 8. A teacher possesses freedom to attend church and worship, as
appropriate , but shall not use his position and influence to proselyte
others.
ARTCLE IV
The Teacher and the Profession
Section 1. Every teacher shall actively help insure that teaching is the noblest
profession, and shall manifest genuine enthusiasm and pride in teaching as a noble
calling.
Section 2. Every teacher shall uphold the highest possible standards of quality
education, shall make the best preparation for the career of teaching, and shall be at
his best at all times in the practice of his profession.
Section 3. Every teacher shall participate in the continuing professional education(CPE)
program of the Professional Regulation Commission, and shall purse such other
studies as will improve his efficiency, enhance the prestige of the profession, and
strengthen his competence, virtues, and productivity in order to be nationally and
internationally competitive.
Section 4. Every teacher shall help, if duly authorized, to seek support for the school ,
but shall not make improper misrepresentation through personal advertisements
and other questionable means.
ARTICLE V
The Teacher and the Teaching Community
Section 1. Teachers shall, at all times, be imbued with the spirit of
professional loyalty, mutual confidence, and faith in one another,
self-sacrifice for the common good and full cooperation with
colleagues. When the best interest of the learners, the school, or the
profession is at stake in any controversy, teachers shall support one
another.
Section 2. A teacher not entitled to claim for work not of his own, and
shall give due credit for the work of others which he may use.
Section 3. Before leaving his position, a teacher shall organize and
leave to his successor such records and other data as are necessary
to carry on the work.
Section 4. A teacher shall hold inviolate all confidential information
concerning associates and the school, and shall not divulge to
anyone documents which have not yet been officially released , or
Section 5. It shall be the responsibility of every teacher to seek
correctives for what may appear to be an unprofessional and
unethical conduct of any associate. This may be done only if there
is incontrovertible evidence for such conduct.
Section 6. A teacher may submit to the proper authorities any
justifiable criticism against an associate, preferably in writing,
without violating any right of the individual concerned.
Section 7. A teacher may apply for a vacant position for which he is
qualified, provided that he respects the system of selection on the
basis of merit and competence, provided, further, that all qualified
candidates are given the opportunity to be considered.
ARTICLE VI
The Teacher and Higher Authorities in the
Philippines
Section 1. A teacher shall make it his duty to make an honest effort to
understand and support the legitimate policies of the school and the
administration regardless of professional feeling or private opinion
and shall faithfully carry them out.
Section 2. A teacher shall not make any false accusation or charges
against superiors, especially under anonymity. However, if there are
valid charges , he should present such under oath to competent
authority.
Section 3. A teacher shall transact all official business through
channels except when special condition warrant a different
procedure, such as when reforms are advocated but are supposed
by the immediate superior, in which case the teachers shall appeal
directly to the appropriate higher authority.
Section 4. A teacher shall individually or as a part of a group, has a
right to seek redress against injustice and discrimination and, to the
extent possible, shall raise his grievances within democratic
processes. In doing so, he shall avoid jeopardizing the interest and
welfare of earners whose right to learn must be respected.
Section 5. A teacher has a right to invoke the principle that
appointments, promotions, and transfers of teachers are made only
on the basis of merit and need in the interest of the service.
Section 6. A teacher who accepts a position assumes a contractual
obligation to live up his contract, assuming full knowledge of the
employment terms and conditions.
ARTICLE VII
School Officials, Teachers and other
Personnel
Section 1. School officials shall at all times show professional courtesy,
helpfulness and sympathy towards teachers and other personnel, such
practices being standards of effective school , dignified administration,
responsible leadership and enlightened direction.
Section 2. School official, teachers, and other school personnel shall consider
it their cooperative responsibility to formulate policies or introduce
important changes in the system at all levels.
Section 3. School official shall encourage and attend to the professional
growth of all teachers under them such as recommending them for
promotion, giving them due recognition for meritorious performance, and
allowing them to participate in conferences and training programs.
Section 4. No school official shall dismiss or recommend for dismissal a
teacher or other subordinates except for cause.
Section 5. School authorities concerned shall ensure that public school
teachers are employed in accordance with pertinent civil service rules, and
private school teachers are issued contracts specifying the terms and
conditions of their work , provided that they are given, if qualified,
subsequent permanent tenure, in accordance with existing laws, and
ARTICE VIII
The Teacher and Learners
Section 1. A teacher has the right and duly to determine the academic marks and the
promotion and the promotion of learners in the subjects they handle. Such
determination shall be in accordance with generally accepted producers of
evaluation and measurement. In case of any complaint, teachers concerned shall
immediately take appropriate action, observing the process.
Section 2. A teacher shall recognize that the interest and welfare of learners are his
first and foremost concern, and shall handle each learner justly and impartially.
Section 3. Under no circumstance shall a teacher be prejudiced nor discriminatory
against each learner.
Section 4. A teacher shall not accept favors or gifts from learners, their parents or
others in their behalf in exchange for requested concessions, especially if
underserved.
Section 5. A teacher shall not accept, directly or indirectly, any remuneration from
tutorials other than what is authorized for such service.
Section 6. A teacher shall base the evaluation of the learner’s work on merit and
qualify of academic performance.
Section 7. In a situation where mutual attraction and subsequent
love develop between teacher and learner, the teacher shall
exercise utmost professional discretion to avoid scandal,
gossip, and preferential treatment of the learner.
Section 8. A teacher shall not inflict corporal punishment on
offending learners nor make deductions from their scholastic
ratings as a punishment for acts which are clearly not
manifestations of poor scholarship.
Section 9. insure that conditions contributive to the maximum
development of learners are adequate, and shall extend needed
assistanceA teacher shall in preventing or solving learner’s
problems and difficulties.
ARTICLE IX
The Teachers and Parents
Section 1. A teacher shall establish and maintain
cordial relationship with parents, and shall conduct
himself to merit their confidence and respect.
Section 2. A teacher shall inform parents, through
proper authorities, of the progress or deficiencies
of learners under him, exercising utmost candor
and tact in pointing out learners’ deficiencies and
in seeking parent’s cooperation for the proper
guidance and improvement of learners.
Section 3. A teacher shall hear parent’s complaints
with sympathy and understanding, and shall
discourage unfair criticism.
ARTICLE X
The Teacher and Business
Section 1. A teacher has the right to engage or directly, in
legitimate income generation, provided that it does not relate
to or adversely affect his work.
Section 2. A teacher shall maintain a good reputation with respect
to financial matters such as in the settlement of his just debt,
loans, and other financial affairs.
Section 3. No teacher shall act , directly or indirectly, as agent of,
or be financially interested in, any commercial venture which
furnish textbook and other school commodities in the purchase
and disposal of which he can exercise official influence,
except only when his assignment is inherently realted to such
purchase and disposal, provided that such shall be in
accordance with existing regulations.
ARTICLE XI
The Teacher as a Person
Section 1. A teacher shall live with dignity in all
places at all times.
Section 2. A teacher shall place premium upon
self-respect and
self-discipline.
Section 3. A teacher shall maintain at all times a
dignified personality which could serve as model
worthy of emulation by learners, peers and others.
Section 4. A teacher shall always recognize the
Almighty God or Being s guide of his own destiny
and of the destinies of men and nations.
ARTICLE XII
Disciplinary Action
Section 1.
Any violation of any provision of his Code
shall be sufficient ground for the imposition
against the erring teacher of disciplinary action
consisting of revocation of his Certificate of
Registration and License as Professional Teacher,
suspension from the practice of the teaching
profession, reprimand, or cancellation of his
temporary or special permit under causes specified
in Section 23, Article III or RA No. 7836, and
under Rule 31, Article 31, Article VIII, of the
Rules and Regulations Implementing RA No.
ARTICLE XIII
Effectivity
Section 1.
This Code shall be approved by the
Professional Regulation Commission and shall
take sixty (60) days following its publication n
the official Gazette or any newspaper of
general circulation , whichever is earlier.
