POLANGUI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Polangui, Albay

MODULE 16: THE CODE OF

ETHICS FOR PROFESSIONAL
TEACHER
I. LEARNING OUTCOMES

The student must have:

1. Explained the meaning of “profession” and “professional”.

2. Described how the professional teacher conducts himself/herself in the practice of his/her profession.

II. CONTENT DISCUSSION OR ABSTRACTION

A. INTRODUCTION:

The term professional has become a global nomenclature for people who excel in their respective
careers and professions. There are IT professionals in India who worked in Silicon Valley but returned to
their home country to share their expertise. We salute the professional soldier; we commend the
professional artist. Business and industry conduct continuing professional development to ensure that every
employee grows in his/her area of expertise and become multiskilled. They claim that their companies are
managed by professionals who operate with a great deal of autonomy.

By semantics, profession is a type of job that requires special training and gives status and
prestige to the individual. A professional is one who has competent skills, observes high standards of the
job, and abides by the code of ethics.

Who is the professional teacher? She/he is the “licensed professional who possess dignity and
reputation, with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence…she/he adheres to,
observes, and practices a set of ethical and moral principles and values” (Code of Ethics of Professional
Teachers, 1997).

Resolution No. 435

Series of 1997

Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (e), Article 11, of R.A. No. 7836, otherwise known as the Philippine
Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 and paragraph (a), section 6, P.D. No. 223, as amended, the Board for
Professional Teachers hereby adopt the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers.

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Preamble

Teachers are duly licensed professionals who possesses dignity and reputation with high moral values as well as
technical and professional competence in the practice of their noble profession, and 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 institution shall offer quality education for all
competent teachers. Committed to its full realization, the provision of this Code shall apply, therefore, to all teachers
in schools in the Philippines.

Section 2. This Code covers all public and private school teachers in all educational institutions at the preschool,
primary, elementary, and secondary levels whether academic, vocational, special, technical, or non-formal. The term
“teacher” shall include industrial arts or vocational teachers and all other persons performing supervisory and /or
administrative functions in all school at the aforesaid levels, whether on full time or part-time basis.

Article II: The Teacher and the State

Section 1. The schools are the nurseries of the future 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 for
all duly constituted authorities, and promote obedience to the laws of the state.

Section 2. Every teacher or school official shall 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 and of the Filipino people as much as of his own, every teacher shall be
physically, mentally and morally fit.

Section 4. Every teacher shall possess and actualize a 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 or service or 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 responsibility.

Section 7. A teacher shall not use his position or official authority or influence to coerce any other person to follow
any political course of action.

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Section 8. Every teacher shall enjoy academic freedom and shall have privilege of expounding the product of his
researches and investigations; provided that, if the results are inimical to the declared policies of the State, they shall
be brought 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 service 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 excesses, much
less illicit relations.

Section 4. Every teacher shall live for and with the community and shall, therefore, study and understand local
customs and traditions in order to have 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 work
and accomplishments as well as its needs and problems.

Section 6. Every teacher is 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 possess freedom to attend church and worships as appropriate, but shall not use his positions
and influence to proselyte others.

Article IV: A Teacher and the Profession

Section 1. Every teacher shall actively 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
preparations for the career of teaching, and shall be at his best at all times and 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 pursue such other studies as will improve his efficiency, enhance the

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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 from the school, but shall not make improper
misrepresentations through personal advertisements and other questionable means.

Section 5. Every teacher shall use the teaching profession in a manner that makes it dignified means for earning a
decent living.

Article V: The Teachers and the Profession

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 is not entitled to claim credit or 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 for whoever assumes the position 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 has not been officially released, or remove records from files without
permission.

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. However, 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 the 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 Profession

Section 1. Every 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 personal feeling or private opinion and shall faithfully carry
them out.

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Section 2. A teacher shall not make any false accusations 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 conditions warrant a
different procedure, such as when special conditions are advocated but are opposed by immediate superiors, in
which case, the teacher shall appeal directly to the appropriate higher authority.

Section 4. Every teacher, individually or as part of a group, has a right to seek redress against injustice to the
administration and to extent possible, shall raise grievances within acceptable democratic possesses. In doing so,
they shall avoid jeopardizing the interest and the welfare of learners whose right to learn must be respected.

Section 5. Every teacher has a right to invoke the principle that appointments, promotions, and transfer of teachers
are made only on the basis of merit and needed in the interest of the service.

Section 6. A teacher who accepts a position assumes a contractual obligation to live up to his contract, assuming full
knowledge of employment terms and conditions.

Article VII: School Officials, Teachers, and Other Personnel

Section 1. All school officials shall at all times show professional courtesy, helpfulness and sympathy towards
teachers and other personnel, such practices being standards of effective school supervision, dignified
administration, responsible leadership and enlightened directions.

Section 2. School officials, 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 officials shall encourage and attend 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 in training programs.

Section 4. No school officials shall dismiss or recommend for dismissal a teacher or other subordinates except for
cause.

Section 5. School authorities concern 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.

Article VIII: The Teachers and Learners

Section 1. A teacher has a right and duty to determine the academic marks and the promotions of learners in the
subject or grades he handles, provided that such determination shall be in accordance with generally accepted
procedures of evaluation and measurement. In case of any complaint, teachers concerned shall immediately take
appropriate actions, observing due process.

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Section 2. A teacher shall recognize that the interest and welfare of learners are of first and foremost concern, and
shall deal justifiably and impartially with each of them.

Section 3. Under no circumstance shall a teacher be prejudiced or discriminate against a 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 undeserved.

Section 5. A teacher shall not accept, directly or indirectly, any remuneration from tutorials other what is authorized
for such service.

Section 6. A teacher shall base the evaluation of the learner’s work only in merit and quality 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 manifestation of poor scholarship.

Section 9. A teacher shall ensure that conditions contribute to the maximum development of learners are adequate,
and shall extend needed assistance in preventing or solving learner’s problems and difficulties.

Article IX: The Teachers and Parents

Section 1. Every teacher shall establish and maintain cordial relations with parents, and shall conduct himself to merit
their confidence and respect.

Section 2. Every teacher shall inform parents, through proper authorities, of the progress and deficiencies of learner
under him, exercising utmost candor and tact in pointing out the learner's deficiencies and in seeking parent’s
cooperation for the proper guidance and improvement of the 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, directly or indirectly, in legitimate income generation; provided that it
does not relate to or adversely affect his work as a teacher.

Section 2. A teacher shall maintain a good reputation with respect to the financial matters such as in the settlement of
his debts and loans in arranging satisfactorily his private financial affairs.

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Section 3. No teacher shall act, directly or indirectly, as agent of, or be financially interested in, any commercial
venture which furnish textbooks and other school commodities in the purchase and disposal of which he can exercise
official influence, except only when his assignment is inherently, related to such purchase and disposal; provided
they shall be in accordance with the existing regulations; provided, further, that members of duly recognized teachers
cooperatives may participate in the distribution and sale of such commodities.

Article XI: The Teacher as a Person

Section 1. A teacher is, above all, a human being endowed with life for which it is the highest obligation to live with
dignity at all times whether in school, in the home, or elsewhere.

Section 2. A teacher shall place premium upon self-discipline as the primary principle of personal behavior in all
relationships with others and in all situations.

Section 3. A teacher shall maintain at all times a dignified personality which could serve as a model worthy of
emulation by learners, peers and all others.

Section 4. A teacher shall always recognize the Almighty God as guide of his own destiny and of the destinies of men
and nations.

Article XII: Disciplinary Actions

Section 1. Any violation of any provision of this code shall be sufficient ground for the imposition against the erring
teacher of the disciplinary action consisting of revocation of his Certification of Registration and License as a
Professional Teacher, suspension from the practice of teaching profession, or reprimand or cancellation of his
temporary/special permit under causes specified in Sec. 23, Article III or R.A. No. 7836, and under Rule 31, Article
VIII, of the Rules and Regulations Implementing R.A. 7836.

Article XIII: Effectivity

Section 1. This Code shall take effect upon approval by the Professional Regulation Commission and after sixty (60)
days following its publication in the Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation, whichever is earlier.

III. LEARNER’S EXPERIENCES OR ACTIVITIES/EXERCISES

A. Choose one article of the Code of Ethics for Professional Teacher. Present the characteristics of the
professional teacher given in the article which you have chosen in a song, symbol or poem.
B. Based on your observation, list down at least two (2) teacher behaviors that are not in keeping with the
provision given you.

IV. ASSESSMENT/REFLECTION TOOLS

1. Creative work of art

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2. Reflection paper
3. Rubric

V. MATERIALS/REFERENCE LINKS

Books:

The Teaching Profession by:

 Purita P. Bilbao, Ed.D.
 Brenda B. Corpuz, Ph.D.
 Avelina T. llagas, Ed.D.
 Gloria G. Salandanan, Ph.D.

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