Abu Dhabi has introduced a new Code of Professional Ethics for teachers, detailing prohibited behaviors to ensure ethical practices in schools.
This code is designed to safeguard students, staff, and the broader school community while promoting respect, integrity, and professionalism in all educational environments.
Failure to comply could result in significant legal and administrative consequences for schools.
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Key prohibited behaviors include:
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Discrimination or harassment against school community members based on religion, ethnicity, origin, social status, age, or gender. All students and colleagues should be treated fairly.
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Discriminating against female employees who are pregnant or have recently given birth.
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Engaging in indoctrination, promoting extremism, racism, bullying, or any form of discrimination.
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Wearing immodest clothing or attire deemed culturally inappropriate, violating school dress codes.
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Conduct contradicting the professional and ethical charter of education employees.
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Verbal or physical harassment of colleagues.
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Spreading false rumors or damaging a colleague’s reputation.
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Disclosing confidential information belonging to others.
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Deliberately excluding colleagues from work-related activities or professional information.
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Falsifying or misrepresenting professional qualifications or work experience.
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Celebrating and honoring UAE national identity and cultural values to promote the UAE identity.
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Showing respect for individuals from different religious, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds.
Ethical standards across staff roles
Abu Dhabi schools are enhancing efforts to integrate ethical behavior into all aspects of teaching.
Jan Stipek, Principal of Raha International School, emphasized how these principles are ingrained in daily school life.
“Professionalism is paramount for us, extending beyond the classroom. We evaluate teaching quality, communication, conduct, and ethical standards. The process begins at recruitment, with interview questions addressing the UAE Code of Professional Ethics, including collaboration, wellbeing, and respect for diversity, cultural values, and national identity. These qualities are crucial in a school with a significant Emirati and multicultural community.
The conversation continues beyond recruitment. The code of ethics is reinforced during onboarding and our all-staff orientation week at the academic year’s start. Most importantly, it’s expected to be demonstrated daily by all staff members.”
School leaders stressed that staff should exhibit integrity, respect, neutrality, and ethical conduct, not just in classrooms, but also in interactions with colleagues, parents, and the broader community.
The Code of Professional Ethics aims to establish consistent principles guiding professional behavior, providing a strong foundation for ethical practice across ADEK-regulated institutions.
Training, monitoring, clear procedures
Anila Anand, HR Manager at Shining Star International School, detailed how the school actively enforces these standards.
“We encourage collaboration through mentorship programs, peer-observations, and structured SLT/HOD (Senior Leadership Team) support. Cross-departmental engagement programs and town hall meetings enhance team spirit and peer relationships.
“All staff sign the Ministry of Education (MoE) and ADEK Code of Conduct. Policy acknowledgment and compliance briefings are in place. We promote responsible policy use awareness, CPD (continuing professional development) on digital safety, plagiarism prevention, and cyberbullying. Robust safeguarding, child protection, and staff wellbeing policies ensure safe spaces, mandatory reporting, and immediate escalation protocols.”
Institutions have also established standard operating procedures (SOPs) for policy breaches.
Principal Abhilasha Singh added that regular training and monitoring are crucial for maintaining compliance. “All staff sign the Code of Conduct during induction and attend annual refresher workshops during non-instructional working days (NIWD). Continuous CPD, scenario-based sessions, and mentoring by HODs and SLT ensure staff understand and apply the standards. HR and wellbeing committees provide ongoing guidance,” she noted.
“We have dedicated CPD Wednesdays. Accountability metrics under staff performance management also cover conduct-related points. Compliance is monitored through observations, appraisals, feedback, and safeguarding audits. Clear SOPs are established for reporting, investigating, and resolving breaches.”
“Breaches are investigated by ethics and safeguarding leads, with corrective measures ranging from counseling and retraining to formal disciplinary action. Serious violations are escalated to ADEK as required, and actions are taken per ADEK and schools’ internal policies,” added Singh.
