CODE OF ETHICS

FOR PROFESSIONAL
TEACHERS
ATTY. RICHIE H. SALUBRE
 Legal Bases

1987 Philippine Constitution provides that all educational institution

shall offer quality education for all Filipino citizens, a vision that
requires professionally competent teachers committed to its full
realization.

Paragraph (e), Article 11, of R.A. No. 7836, otherwise

known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization
Act of 1994.

Paragraph (a), section 6, P.D. No. 223, as amended.

Who is a teacher?
Teacher is a duly licensed
professional who possesses
dignity and reputation with high
moral values as well as
technical and professional
competence in the practice of
his/her noble profession, and
he/she strictly adheres to,
observe, and practice the set of
ethical and moral principles,
standards, and values.

- Preamble, Code of Ethics

for Professional Teachers
Who are “This Code covers all public and private
covered by school teachers in all educational
institutions at the preschool, primary,
the Code of elementary, and secondary levels
whether academic, vocational, special,
Ethics for technical, or non-formal. The term
“teacher” shall include industrial arts or
Professional vocational teachers and all other
Teachers? persons performing supervisory and /or
administrative functions in all school at
the aforesaid levels, whether on full time
or part-time basis.”
Section 2, Article I – Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers
 State

Teaching
As a
Communit
person
y

Code of Professio

Ethics for
Business
n

Profession Teacher

al Teachers Parents
Higher
Authoritie
s

Communit
Learners
y
School
Officials,
Teachers
and other
Personne
l
 Article II: The Teacher and the
State
Section 1: The schools
are the nurseries of the
citizens of the state; Section 2.
each teacher is a
Every teacher Section 3. In the
trustee of the cultural
and educational or school interest of the
heritage of the nation
official shall State and of the
and is under obligation
Filipino people
to transmit to learners actively help
such heritage as well as as much as of
carry out the
to elevate national his own, every
morality, promote declared teacher shall be
national pride, cultivate
love of country, instill policies of the physically,
allegiance to the state, and shall mentally and
constitution and for all
duly constituted take an oath to morally fit.
authorities, and this effect.
promote obedience to
the laws of the state.
 Article II: The Teacher and the
State
Section 5. A teacher shall not
engage in the promotion of any
political, religious, or other
partisan interest, and shall not, Section 6. Every teacher shall
Section 4. Every teacher shall
directly or indirectly, solicit, vote and shall exercise all other
possess and actualize a full
require, collect, or receive any constitutional rights and
commitment and devotion to
money or service or other responsibility.
duty.
valuable material from any
person or entity for such
purposes.

Section 8. Every teacher shall

enjoy academic freedom and
shall have the privilege of
Section 7. A teacher shall not use
expounding the product of his
his position or official authority or
researches and investigations;
influence to coerce any other
provided that, if the results are
person to follow any political
inimical to the declared policies of
course of action.
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 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 honour 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.
 Article III: The Teacher and the
Community
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 possesses freedom to attend church and worship as

appropriate, but shall not use his position and influence to proselyte others.
 Section 1. Every teacher shall actively help insure

Article IV:
that teaching is the noblest profession, and shall
manifest genuine enthusiasm and pride in teaching
as a noble calling.
The
Teacher
Section 2. Every teacher shall uphold the highest
possible standards of quality education, shall make
the best preparation for the career of teaching, and
and the shall be at his best at all times and in the practice of
his profession.

Professio Section 3. Every teacher shall participate in the Continuing

Professional Education (CPE) program of the Professional

n 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.
Article IV: Section 4. Every teacher shall help, if duly
authorized, to seek support for the school, but
The shall not make improper misrepresentations
through personal advertisements and other
Teacher questionable means.

and the
Professio Section 5. Every teacher shall use the teaching
profession in a manner that makes it a dignified

n means for earning a decent living.

 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 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 and leave to his
successor such records and other data as are necessary to carry on the work.
 Article V: The Teacher and the
Teaching Community
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 official 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 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 Profession

Section 1. A teacher Section 3. A teacher shall

shall make it his duty to Section 2. A teacher transact all official
make an honest effort shall not make any business through channels
to understand and false accusations or except when special
support the legitimate charges against conditions warrant a
policies of the school superiors, especially different procedure, such
under anonymity. as when reforms are
and the administration advocated but are
regardless of personal However, if there are
opposed by immediate
feeling or private valid charges, he superior, in which case,
opinion and shall should present such the teacher shall appeal
faithfully carry them under oath to directly to the appropriate
out. competent authority. higher authority.
 Article VI: The Teacher and Higher
Authorities in the Profession

Section 4. A teacher, Section 6. A teacher

individually or as part of a Section 5. A teacher
group, has a right to seek who accepts a
has a right to invoke
redress against injustice
the principle that
position assumes a
and discrimination, and to
appointments, contractual
extent possible, shall raise
his grievances within promotions, and obligation to live up
democratic possesses. In transfer of teachers are to his contract,
doing so, he shall avoid made only on the basis assuming full
jeopardizing the interest of merit and need in knowledge of
and the welfare of learners the interest of the
whose right to learn must
employment terms
service. and conditions.
be respected.
 Article VII: School Officials,
Teachers, and other Personnel
Section 1. School Section 3. School
officials shall at all officials shall
times show encourage and attend
professional courtesy, Section 2. School to the professional
helpfulness and officials, teachers, and growth of all teachers
sympathy towards other school personnel under them such as in
teachers and other shall consider it their recommending them
personnel, such as cooperative for promotion, giving
practices being responsibility to them due recognition
standards of effective formulate policies or for meritorious
school supervision, introduce important performance, and
dignified changes in the system allowing them to
administration, at all levels. participate in
responsible leadership conferences and
and enlightened training programs.
directions.
 Article VII: School Officials,
Teachers, and Other Personnel
Section 5. School authorities
concerned shall ensure that
public school teachers are
employed in accordance
with pertinent civil service
Section 4. No school rules, and private school
officials shall dismiss or teachers are issued
contracts specifying the
recommend for terms and conditions of
dismissal a teacher or their work; provided that
other subordinates they are given, if qualified,
except for cause. subsequent permanent
tenure, in accordance with
existing laws, and provided
further that they are duly
registered and licensed
professional teachers.
 Section 1. A teacher has a right and duty to determine the
academic marks and the promotion 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
Article shall immediately take appropriate actions, observing due
process.

VIII: The Section 2. A teacher shall recognize that the

Teacher interest and welfare of learners are of first and

foremost concern, and shall handle each learner
justly and impartially.
and
Learners Section 3. Under no circumstance shall a teacher
be prejudiced nor discriminatory against any
learner.
 Section 4. A teacher shall not accept favours or
gifts from learners, their parents or others in their
behalf in exchange for requested concessions,
Article especially if undeserved.

VIII: The Section 5. A teacher shall not accept, directly or

Teacher indirectly, any remuneration from tutorials other
than what is authorized for such service.
and
Learners 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.
Article
VIII: The Section 8. A teacher shall not inflict corporal
punishment on offending learners nor make
Teacher deductions from their scholastic ratings as a
punishment for acts which are clearly not
and manifestation of poor scholarship.

Learners Section 9. A teacher shall ensure that conditions

contributive 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. A 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 or 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 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 3. No teacher shall

act, directly or indirectly, as
Section 1. A teacher Section 2. A teacher agent of, or be financially
has the right to shall maintain a good
interested in, any commercial
venture which furnish
engage, directly or reputation with textbooks and other school
indirectly, in respect to financial commodities in the purchase
legitimate income matters such as in the
and disposal of which he can
generation; provided exercise official influence,
settlement of his just except only when his
that it does not relate debts, loans and other assignment is inherently,
to or adversely affect financial affairs. related to such purchase and
his work. disposal; provided that such
shall be in accordance with
the existing regulations.
 Article XI: The Teacher as a
Person
Section 1 A teacher shall live with dignity at all times.

A teacher shall place premium upon self-respect and self-

Section 2 discipline as the primary principles of personal behaviour in all
relationships with others and in all situations.

A teacher shall maintain at all times a dignified personality

Section 3 which could serve as a model worthy of emulation by learners,
peers, and others.

A teacher shall always recognize the Almighty God as guide of

Section 4
his own destiny and of the destinies of men and nations.
Article XII:
Disciplinary Action
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, 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.
“To this end, the greatest
asset of a school is the
personality of the
teacher.”
-John Strachan
Thank you