Glossary of Terms

Definition
Terms
Code of a guide of principles designed to help professionals act with honesty and integrity. A
Ethics written set of rules and management to help them conduct their actions in accordance
with its primary values and standards. (Oxford English Dictionary)
Teacher a person who facilitate learners to gain knowledge, skills, and values that enhance
development. A person who has the knowledge, skills, attitude, and special trainings in
teaching, explaining, and educating. (R.A. 9155)
Professional a person who characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a
profession. A person who exhibits courtesy, conscientiousness, and generally manners
that are acceptable resulting improvement of the organization he belongs.
Behavior the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others and to the
organization he or she is serving.
School is an educational institution, private, and public, understating operation with a specific
age group of pupils or students pursuing defined studies at defined level, receiving
instruction from teachers, usually located in a building or a group of buildings in a
particular physical site. (R.A. 9155)
Learner any individual seeking basic literacy skills and functional life skills or support services
for the improvement of the quality of his/her life (R.A. 9155)

Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers

Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (e). Article 11, of R. A.. No. 7836. otherwise
known as the Philippines 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.

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, 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 of 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 carryout

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 facial authority or

influence to coerce any other person to follow any political course of
action.
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 for 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 counselling 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 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 descent living.

ARTICLE V – THE TEACHERS AND THE PROFESSION

Section 1. Teacher 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, teacher 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 the files without permission.

Section 5. It shall be the responsibility of every teacher to seek

correctives for what he may appear to be an unprofessional and
unethical conduct of any associates. 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

PROFESSIONS

Section 1. Every teacher shall make it his duties 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.

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
enlighten 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, 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, of serving due process.

Section 2. A teacher shall recognize that the interest and welfare of

learners are of first and foremost concerns, and shall deal justifiably
and impartially with each of them.

Section 3. Under no circumstance shall a teacher be prejudiced nor

discriminated against by the 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 learners 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.

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 principles 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 provisions 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, reprimand or cancellation of his
temporary/special permit under causes specified in Sec. 23. Article HI
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
it’s publication in the official Gazette or any newspaper of general
circulation, whichever is earlier.