Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers
In pursuance of the recommendations of the National Policy on Education
(NPE), 1986/1992, the National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) in collaboration with the All India Primary Teachers Federation
(AIPTF), All India Secondary Teachers Federation (AISTF) and All India
Federation of Educational Associations (AIFEA) had developed, for the first
time, a Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers, in 1997. Recognizing the need
for revising the Code of Professional Ethics for School Teachers, the National
Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) appointed a Committee comprising Prof.
A.K. Sharma, former Director, NCERT, Prof. G.L. Arora, former Head Department
of Teacher Education and Extension, NCERT, Prof. Pranati Panda, National
University of Educational Planning and Administration and Prof. Najma Amin,
Jamia Millia Islamia.
The Committee constituted by the NCTE reviewed this Code keeping in view
the context of the relevant sections of the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 and also examined the Codes of Professional
Ethics currently in use in some other countries. The draft Code prepared by the
NCTE Committee was shared with the representatives of State Education
Departments, All India Federations of Primary and Secondary Teachers
organizations and UNESCO, and senior officials of the Ministry of HRD,
educational administrators and experts in a National Seminar. It was also put
on the website of NCTE inviting comments and suggestions from the stakeholders
in school education. Valuable suggestions received online and in the seminar
have been duly considered while finalizing this document.
Ideally, the Code of Professional Ethics should be prepared by the professional
organizations of teachers themselves as it is their responsibility to ensure
its observance as a self-imposed discipline on the part of their members. The
NCTE has prepared this document as a facilitative mechanism for professional
bodies of teachers to use it as a template for discussion amongst them, make
any amendments, if necessary, and adopt it to give dignity to their profession.
It is universally felt that like all other professions, the teaching
profession should also have its own Code of Professional Ethics which indeed is
a pre-requisite to ensure its dignity and integrity. It is also significant
that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 entrusts
teachers with some onerous professional responsibilities to be internalized by
them in the performance of their duties.
Accordingly, it is considered necessary that the Code of Professional
Ethics be evolved and adopted by the teaching community. For the purpose of
this Code, the term “teacher” covers all school teachers, whether in government
or private schools, on full-time or part-time basis, at the elementary and
secondary levels and the teachers holding administrative and supervisory
positions.
The Code of Professional Ethics for teachers provides a framework of principles
to guide them in discharging their obligations towards students, parents,
colleagues and community. Increased awareness of the ethical principles
governing the teaching profession is essential to ensure ‘professionalism’
among teachers.
Preamble
Recognizing -
- That every child has a fundamental right to education of
good quality;
- That every child has an inherent potential and talent;
- That education should be directed to the all round
development of the human personality;
- The need for developing faith in the guiding principles
of our polity, viz., democracy, social justice and secularism;
- The need to promote through education the concept of
composite culture of India and a sense of national identity;
- That teachers, being an integral part of the social
milieu, share the needs and aspirations of the people;
- The need to enhance self-esteem of teachers;
- The need to organize teaching as a profession for which
expert knowledge, specialized skills and dedication are pre-requisites;
- That the community respect and support for the teachers
are dependent on the teachers’ professionalism;
- The need for self-direction and self-discipline among
members of the teaching community,
The present Code of Professional Ethics for school
teachers, is an attempt to provide direction and guidance to the teachers
in enhancing the dignity of their professional work.
1.
Obligations towards Students
1.1.
Treats all students with love and affection.
1.2.
Respects the value of being just and impartial to all
students irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, sex, economic status,
disability, language and place of birth.
1.3.
Facilitates students’ physical, social, intellectual,
emotional, and moral development.
1.4.
Respects basic human dignity of the child in all aspects
of school life.
1.5.
Makes planned and systematic efforts to facilitate the
child to actualize his/her potential and talent.
1.6.
Transacts the curriculum in conformity with the values
enshrined in the Constitution of India.
1.7.
Adapts his/her teaching to the individual needs of students.
1.8.
Maintains the confidentiality of the information
concerning students and dispenses such information only to those who are
legitimately entitled to it.
1.9.
Refrains from subjecting any child to fear, trauma,
anxiety, physical punishment, sexual abuse, and mental and emotional
harassment.
1.10. Keeps a dignified demeanour commensurate with the expectations from a
teacher as a role model.
2.
Obligations towards Parents,
Community and Society
2.1.
Establishes a relationship of trust with
parents/guardians in the interest of all round development of students.
2.2.
Desists from doing any thing which is derogatory to the
respect of the child or his/her parents/guardians.
2.3.
Strives to develop respect for the composite culture of
India among students.
2.4.
Keeps the country uppermost in mind, refrains from taking
part in such activities as may spread feelings of hatred or enmity among
different communities, religious or linguistic groups.
3.
Obligations towards the
Profession and Colleagues
1.1.
Strives for his/her continuous professional development.
1.2.
Creates a culture that encourages purposeful
collaboration and dialogue among colleagues and stakeholders.
1.3.
Takes pride in the teaching profession and treats other
members of the profession with respect and dignity.
1.4.
Refrains from engaging himself/herself in private tuition
or private teaching activity.
1.5.
Refrains from accepting any gift, or favour that might
impair or appear to influence professional decisions or actions.
1.6.
Refrains from making unsubstantiated allegations against
colleagues or higher authorities.
1.7.
Avoids making derogatory statements about colleagues,
especially in the presence of pupils, other teachers, officials or parents.
1.8.
Respects the professional standing and opinions of
his/her colleagues.
1.9.
Maintains confidentiality of information concerning
colleagues and dispenses such information only when authorized to do so.
OBSERVANCE OF THE CODE
The difference between the Code of Conduct and the Code of Professional Ethics
needs to be appreciated. As far as the provision of the Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 is concerned, particularly with
reference to Section 24 of the Act pertaining to duties of teachers, enforcement
of the Code of Conduct is perhaps the answer. This enforcement is
the responsibility of the appointing/disciplinary authority. However, the
provisions which define the Code of Conduct could also be incorporated in the
Code of Professional Ethics, as making them ethical provisions will always
desist teachers from violation of the Code of Conduct.
Like all other professions, the teaching profession should also move
towards self-regulation, which implies that every teacher should have the inner
urge to adhere to the ethical principles listed in the Code of Professional
Ethics for teachers. However, in spite of the expectation of the voluntary
observance of the Code, some cases of violation of the Code or of partial
adherence to it are likely to occur in the vast system of school education.
Therefore, a suitable mechanism needs to be evolved to ensure that all members
of the profession follow the ethical principles enshrined in the Code.
The violation of the Code of Conduct invites disciplinary action for which
detailed rules are prescribed. However, in the case of violation of Code of
Professional Ethics by teachers, the responsibility to discipline them should
rest with the authorized representatives of the profession. The magnitude or
seriousness of the violation may not be the same in all the cases. The cases of
violation or non-observance shall have to be dealt with at different levels and
in different ways in accordance with the nature of the violation.
In other professions, as for instance, medicine, law, etc. after completion
of the professional course, the pass-out is registered as a bonafide practitioner
of the profession and is bound by a Code of Professional Ethics relevant to
his/her profession.
In case of any reported violation of the code, the authorized professional
body initiates disciplinary action which may even lead to cancellation of the
license to practice the profession. No such provision exists in the case of the
teaching profession.
To begin with, All India Federations of Primary and Secondary Teachers organizations
should formally adopt the ‘Code” and resolve to take all possible measures to
ensure its observance in letter and spirit. At the time of initial appointment,
a teacher should be provided a copy of the ‘Code of Professional Ethics’ for
perusal and should be further required to furnish an ‘Oath’, before joining the
profession that he/she would always strive to observe the ‘Code’ in letter and
spirit.
Mechanism to Deal with Violations
A possible mechanism to deal with non-observance of the Code is suggested
here. A four-tier mechanism could be evolved to deal with the violations noticed
or reported, as outlined below:
(i) School / Block Ethics Committee
In the case of bigger secondary or higher secondary schools where the
number of teachers is quite sizeable, an Ethics Committee at the school level
comprising senior members of the staff should be appointed. In the case of
Primary/Elementary schools, keeping in view the fewer numbers of teachers, the
Ethics Committee could be constituted at the Block or Cluster level by the
concerned Associations of teachers. The Committee may deal with the complaints
regarding punctuality, regularity, completion of curriculum, engagement in
private tuitions, etc. and, in the first instance, should try to persuade the
erring teachers to mend their ways. The Teachers Associations and Ethics
Committees should make it clear to the teachers that if they do not mend their
ways, the Association would not support them if disciplinary proceedings are
initiated against them by the authorities.
(ii) District Ethics Committee
The recognized Teacher Organizations/Associations in the State shall
jointly constitute the Ethics Committee at the district level comprising
representatives of teachers and eminent educationists. The Committee should
deal with complaints referred to it by the School/Block Ethics Committee, where
the teachers have failed to improve their conduct in spite of the efforts made
by the School/Block Ethics Committee. This Committee should deal with
complaints of serious nature such as violation of Constitutional Provisions,
cases of child abuse, spreading feelings of hatred or enmity among different
communities, etc. The Committee may issue ‘Advisories’ to the erring teachers,
if necessary. In the case of recurrence of violation of the Code, the District
Committee shall refer the matter to the State Committee for appropriate action.
(iii) State Ethics Committee
The recognized Teacher Organizations in the state shall jointly appoint an
Ethics Committee comprising eminent educationists, representatives of teacher
organizations and parents. The Committee should deal with complaints referred
to it by the District Committees. The Committee may debar the erring teachers
from contesting elections for various offices in the concerned Teacher
Organization or suspend their membership.
(iv) National Ethics Committee
At the
national level, NCTE and All India Federations of school teachers may jointly
appoint a National Ethics Committee comprising eminent educationists, representatives
of Federations of Elementary and Secondary Teacher Organizations, National
Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and parents. The Committee
should be responsible for consideration of issues which may require periodical
review of the code and also for the formulation of guidelines for the functioning
of Ethics Committees at different levels.
Creating Awareness
To begin with, the Code should be translated into various Indian Languages
and circulated widely amongst the teachers. The National Level and State Level
Teachers’ organizations and Institutions responsible for teachers’ In-service
education should organize orientation programmes for teachers and discuss with
them the implications of the Code. The Explanatory Notes in respect of various
Articles of the Code will be helpful in such orientation programmes. The code
should also be included in the curriculum of various teacher education
programmes in the country so that the prospective teachers are fully aware
about the ethical principles enshrined in it before their entry into the
profession.
