Professional Code of Ethics for Teachers

1. THE CODE OF
ETHICS FOR
PROFESSIONAL
TEACHERS
Prof. Neilson A. Silva, LPT, MAEd
Asia Technological School of Science and Arts

2. Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers adopted and
promulgated by the Board for Professional Teachers
through Board Resolution No. 435, series of 1997,
pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (e), Article II
of RA No. 7836, otherwise known as the “Philippine
Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994

3. VIOLATION OF CODE OF ETHICS
FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS
Article XII, Section 1--
“Any violation shall be sufficient ground for the
revocation of
license”

4. TEACHERS AS PROFESSIONALS
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, standard and values.
(Preamble, Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers)

5. “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 excesses, much less illicit relations.”
(Code of Ethics, Article III, Section 3)
“A teacher shall place premium upon selfrespect and self-discipline as the
principle of personal behavior in all relationships with others and in all
situations.”
(Code of Ethics, Article XI, Section 2)

6. “A teacher shall maintain at all times a dignified
personality which could serve as model worthy of
emulation by learners, peers, and others.”
(Code of Ethics, Article XI, Section 3)

7. TO ACT WITH HONOR:
To strictly honor contractual obligation with the School
Art. VI, Sec. 6, Code of Ethics:
“A teacher who accepts a position assumes a contractual obligation to live up to
his contract, assuming full knowledge of the employment terms and
conditions.”

8. DUTY OF TEACHERS
(Based on Law)
As an EDUCATOR
1987 Constitution states:
“The State shall protect and promote the right of all
citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.”
(Article XIV, Section 1)

9. As a PARENT
Article 218 of the Family Code provides—
“The school, its administrators and teachers, x x x engaged in child care shall
have special parental authority and
responsibility over the minor child while under their supervision, instruction or
custody.”
Article 219 of the Family Code provides—
“Those given the authority and responsibility under (Article 218) shall
principally and solidarily liable for damages caused by acts or omissions of
he unemancipated minor.”

10. Principal Duty or Obligation is To
Ensure “Quality Education”
What is QUALITY EDUCATION?
Principal Duty or Obligation is To Ensure “Quality Education”
“making sure that basic education is really solid, because if it is not solid, it
affects the quality of secondary education.
If secondary education is poor, then the person goes to college unprepared for
college work. And if he is allowed to graduate again with a poor quality college
education, he goes to university professional education even more unprepared.”

11. In short—
“A school, before promoting or graduating a
student, must be sure that he/she (the student)
is functionally literate to go through next higher
level.”

12. To ensure Quality Education:
1) Must be COMPETENT and EFFICIENT
Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers,
Article IV, 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.”

13. BP 232 (Education Act of 1982), Section 16 (2)
provides—
“The teacher shall be accountable for efficient and effective attainment of
specified learning objectives.”
Code of Ethics further mandates that—
“Every teacher shall participate in the continuing professional education (CPE)
program of the PRC, and shall pursue such other studies as will improve his
efficiency, enhance the prestige of the profession, and strengthen his
competence, virtue and productivity in order to be nationally and
internationally competitive.”
(Article IV, Section 3)

14. “A teacher shall ensure that conditions contributive to the
maximum
development of learners are adequate and shall extend
assistance in preventing or solving learners’ problems and
difficulty. (Article IV, Section 3)

15. In short—
A teacher is expected to be efficient and competent in the performance of his academic duties
at all times.
Otherwise,
A teacher who has consistently shows his inability to efficiently perform his duties and
responsibilities, within a common performance standards should not be allowed to stay in
school.
The MRPS provides as just cause of
terminating a faculty—
“Gross inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of his duties ”
(Section 3 (a))

16. Hence,
“schools can set high standards of efficiency for its
teachers since quality education is a mandate of the
Constitution.
Security of tenure cannot be used to shield
incompetence.”

17. 2) Must EVALUATE LEARNERS
(i) Duty to give grades/evaluation
“Render regular reports on performance of each student and to the latter and
to the latter’s parents and guardians with specific suggestions for
improvement.”
Section 16(3) of BP 232, TEACHER SHALL—
and...
Must promptly render or give grades. Otherwise, the unjustified or
unreasonable delay in giving grades constitutes gross neglect of duty.

18. THUS…..
“It is the contractual obligation of the school (through the teachers) to
TIMELY INFORM AND FURNISH sufficient notice and information
to each and every student as to whether he/she had already complied
with all the requirements.”
“The negligent act of a teacher who fails to observe the rules of the
school, for instance, by not promptly submitting a student’s grade is not
only imputable to the teacher but is an act of the school being his/her
employer.”

19. In evaluating/giving grades the following rules of conduct must be
observed—
Code of Ethics provides—
“A teacher has the duty to determine the academic marks and the
promotion of learners in the subject they handle. Such determination
shall be in accordance with generally accepted procedure of evaluation
and measurement on case of any complaint, teachers concerned shall
immediately take appropriate action, observing the process.”
(Article VIII, Section 1)

20. “Under no circumstances shall a teacher be prejudiced nor
discriminatory against any learner.”
(Article VIII, Section 3)
“A teacher shall not accept favors or gifts from learners, their parents or
others in their behalf in exchange for requested concessions, especially
if undeserved.”
(Article VIII, Section 4)
“A teacher shall base the evaluation of the learner’s work on merit and
quality of academic performance.”
(Article VIII, Section 6)

21. In computing the grades
Section 16 (5) of BP 232 mandates that a teacher shall—
“Refrain from making deductions or additions in student’s scholastic
ratings for acts that are clearly not manifestations of scholarship.”
Hence, Section 79 of the MRPS—“Basis for Grading. –
The grade or rating in a student should be based SOLELY on his
scholastic performance. Any addition or diminution to the grade in a
subject for cocurricular activities, attendance, or misconduct shall NOT
be allowed.”

22. Code of Ethics provides—
“A teacher shall not make deductions from their scholastic ratings as a
punishment for acts which are clearly not manifestations of poor
scholarship.”
(Article VIII, Section 8)
Thus, it is not a matter of discretion on the part of the teachers in the
giving of the students’ grades, but rather it is a clear obligation for the
teachers to determine student academic marks solely based on
scholastic performance. For a teacher to do otherwise, would be serious
academic malpractice or grave misconduct in the performance of
his/her duties.

23. “The Supreme Court is convinced that the pressure
and influence exerted by (a teacher) on his colleague
to change a failing grade to passing one constitute
serious misconduct which is a valid ground for
dismissing an employee.”

24. B. As a PARENT: Principal Duty to Exercise Parental Authority and
Responsibility
Article 218, Family Code provides—
“The school, its administrators and teachers engaged in child care
shall have special parental authority and responsibility over the
minor child while under their supervision, instruction or custody.”

25. Code of Ethics states that
“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.”
(Article VII, Section 2)

26. Parental Authority to Discipline
“As parents, the teachers shall use discipline not to punish but to
correct, not to force, but to motivate; and not to obey with rigid
cadence, but to choose to follow the right way.
Hence, teachers cannot generally use methods of punishing or such
degree of penalties that a good mother or a good father would not
likely use on
her/his own children.”

27. Corporal Punishment - Article 233 (2nd par.)
“In no case inflict corporal punishment upon the child.”
Definition: An act that inflict pain or harm upon a child’s body as
punishment for wrong doing usually through beating and spanking
Elements:
a. physical contact
b. inflict pain

28. VIII, 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.

29. Sale of Tickets; Collection of Contribution/ Donations from Pupils /
Parents
BP 232, Sec. 9 (9) - students have right to be free from (voluntary)
involuntary contributions
Improper or unauthorized solicitation of contributions from subordinate
employees and by teachers or school officials from school children
VIII, 5. A teacher shall not accept, directly or indirectly, any
remuneration from tutorials other than what is authorized for such
service.

30. “(Department of Education) considers the act of teachers
in xxx contracting loans from parents of their students not
only serious misconduct but violation of students’ right to
be free from involuntary contribution.”

31. Parental Responsibility
The student / pupil while in school, is in the
custody and hence, the responsibility of the
school authorities as long as he is under the
control and influence of the school, whether the
semester has not yet begun or has already
ended.

32. Even if the student is just relaxing in
the campus in the company of his
classmates, the student is still within
the custody and subject to the
discipline and responsibility of the
teachers.

33. Hence--
A teacher required to exercise special parental
authority but who fails to observe all the diligence of
a good father of a family in the custody and care of
the pupils and students, shall be held liable for gross
neglect of duty.

34. IN SUM….
Teaching is indeed a noble, if not the noblest profession.
Teachers are called not only to teach by words but by their very life,
examples and being
Teachers as role models of their students must exemplify and uphold
ethical and moral principles in their lives as persons and as teachers