Abellanosa: Can teachers be non-political?

Abellanosa: Can teachers be non-political?

IT IS election season, and we are once again divided by our political convictions and more so by our partisan choices. Politics is always divisive, and there is no way for us to force people to incline to one direction. Any attempt to make political discussions unified and uniform is against the spirit of democracy. Only dictators or tyrants wish a kind of uniformity in all aspects of life.

The division is getting wider and becomes more articulated in social media. Even the colors we choose and the slogans we use are making more elaborate the candidates we favor. Given the exponentially changing nature of public opinion nowadays, a serious issue or question has been recurring: should persons in authority particularly teachers – be allowed to publicly express their views on political matters? In doing so, don’t they run the risk of being partisan and thus no longer neutral in the way they carry out their functions?

A rather conservative take on the matter would insist on the non-participation of teachers in politics. Some would go as far as invoking the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers which provides in Article II, section 5: “A teacher shall not engage in the promotion of any political, religious, or other partisan interest, and shall not directly or indirectly, solicit, require, collect, or receive any money or service or other valuable material from any person or entity for such purposes.”

While an initial look at the provision conveys an apparent directive of non-political engagement on the part of teachers, however, such is not really the case. What is prohibited by the provision is a teacher’s use of his authority or position to impose on others, especially students, his political views and more particularly his partisan choices.

But even the term "partisan" should be qualified and understood correctly. In a country or society where the contestation for power is carried through a partisan system, it is quite impossible for anybody not to be partisan – teachers included. To say therefore that a teacher should not be partisan, should not be understood to mean that he should not have partisan choices. More so cannot "non-partisan" be interpreted to mean that he "cannot" express such choices publicly through colors, symbols, political views, or even by naming his candidate.

What is important, I believe, is for the teacher not to use his power or authority to advance his beliefs to the point of "forcing" or "coercing" another to exercise their rights based on the teacher’s convictions. This goes with a caveat: there are a lot of ambiguities and ambivalences on the matter on account of the moral character of political discourses. Especially when we talk about issues such as human rights, defense of freedom, and social accountability, there is a thin line between the partisan and the non-partisan.

All these being said, perhaps a more mature position should be embraced by citizens in a modern society. Teachers cannot be non-political no matter what. What they need to learn is how to be political in the spirit of respect and responsibility anchored on the ethical code that they are supposed to live by. Teachers should learn how to participate in political life, even if this would mean partisanship, but always in the spirit of prudence, honesty, and integrity. They should learn how to publicly say their view tactfully and in a manner that is proper to the language of their social responsibility.

Like any human being, a teacher is entitled to his opinion, but this, for example, does not mean spreading fake news or approving unethical behavior. It is of course challenging if a teacher prefers to vote for a candidate who is a notorious human rights violator. But the burden is on his part -- to explain his choice without necessarily saying that “human rights” violations are acceptable.

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