SINGAPORE – A Code of Professional Conduct for Educators will be made available next year, aimed at guiding teachers on “upholding professional standards, use of social media and maintaining professional educator-student relationships”.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) today informed teachers of the new code through an emailed letter signed by Director-General of Education Ho Peng.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a MOE spokesperson said the code is intended to guide and support educators in their professional conduct and practice.

In the Internet age, the MOE recognises that educators may blog or discuss non-work matters online, “provided they do so in their personal capacity, in their own time, and conduct themselves responsibly online,” she added.

On teacher-student relationships, the spokesperson said the code would outline guiding principles for teacher-student relationships and communication with students.

The code comes after a series of cases of professional misconduct involving teachers. Last month, a former secondary school teacher who had sex with her 15-year-old student was jailed a year. In August, a former secondary school teacher was jailed for planting cameras in his school toilet.

In her letter, Ms Ho said: “We must constantly remind ourselves that we are in the privileged position of nurturing and educating the young, and therefore committing to upholding high standards of conduct.”

Some teachers were consulted on the existing initiatives - “Ethos of the Teaching Profession” - and the MOE HR Conduct Guidelines. “We understand that stronger guidance on our professional practices and conduct would be important in the light of the increasingly complex environment we work in,” she said.

Principals or school clusters leaders will be meeting with teachers to share more on the code in the coming year.

Currently, teachers - who are also considered as civil servants - follow guidelines articulated in the Civil Service instruction manuals and the MOE’s internal set of guidelines and corporate values.