Why in news?
The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department released a draft model code of conduct for college teachers in July 2025. The document sparked debate on academic freedom, teacher accountability and appropriate behaviour on campus.
Ethics versus conduct
- A code of ethics sets out broad principles—such as honesty, fairness and respect—that professionals should aspire to. It is aspirational and value‑based.
- A code of conduct lays down specific rules of behaviour, including dos and don’ts in various situations. It is more prescriptive and enforceable.
Draft code highlights
- Teacher–student boundaries: Specifies appropriate interactions, discouraging favouritism, harassment or exploitation. Teachers must avoid relationships that compromise professional integrity.
- Classroom conduct: Encourages punctuality, preparedness and unbiased evaluation. Disparaging remarks on caste, religion or gender are prohibited.
- Political neutrality: Teachers should not use classrooms to propagate political ideologies or canvass for any party. Participation in partisan activities on campus may require prior approval.
- Social media use: Guidelines ask teachers to refrain from posting content that harms the institution’s reputation or discloses confidential information. They should not publicly criticise students or colleagues.
- Research integrity: Emphasises avoiding plagiarism, properly acknowledging collaborators and managing conflicts of interest.
Implementation and limitations
- Training and sensitisation: Institutions must conduct workshops to familiarise teachers with the code and discuss real‑life scenarios.
- Ethics committees: Colleges should set up committees to investigate complaints, ensuring due process and natural justice.
- Autonomy concerns: Critics worry that strict rules could stifle creativity and academic freedom, especially in social sciences and humanities.
- Ambiguity: Vague terms like “objectionable post” may lead to inconsistent enforcement. The code must be periodically reviewed with teacher input.
