23-point code of ethics for teachers

Updated on: Monday, December 27, 2010

Lakhs of freshly appointed school teachers across India will soon be bound by a stringent 23-point code of ethics in a bid to instill professionalism among them. A four-member committee of the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) has mooted a mechanism for registration of persons eligible for teaching in schools.

The committee, headed by former director of NCERT, A K Sharma, has drawn up a three-tiered code listing the obligations of teachers towards students, parents, society and colleagues. Ethics committees, starting with schools and up to a pan-India level, may deal with violations of the code. The penalties range from issuing advisories to withdrawal of eligibility of cancellation or registration prohibiting erring teachers from taking up the profession.

The code restricts teachers from lowering the esteem of a child in front of others and obliges them to demonstrate love and affection to all students, irrespective of their achievement level. Once the code is in place, teachers will have to maintain confidentiality of information concerning students, their family, culture and community.

Teachers would also have to politely refuse expensive gifts from students, parents and even from book publishers and science equipment suppliers. The draft code is being sent to different states for feedback.

23-point code of ethics for teachers

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