Challenges facing government secondary school teachers in implementation of professional code of conduct in Tanzania: a case of Kilimanjaro region.

This study investigated teachers' implementation of code of conduct in Tanzania government secondary schools. The study was qualitative in nature and was conducted in four selected secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region. The study employed a case study strategy with 109 respondents, including 48 teachers, four school heads, eight parents, four members of the school board, 16 non-staff, one regional educational officer, three districts educational officers, thee representatives from Teachers Trade union, five secretaries from Teachers Service Department, one representative from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and 16 student leaders. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, documentary review and focus group discussions. Major findings revealed that the process of implementing professional code of conduct in the teaching profession was not done appropriately in government secondary schools. It was further revealed that challenges facing teachers and school heads in implementing code of conduct were similar in all schools. The study further revealed recommended measures to overcome challenges faced by teachers. They included having knowledge on profession code of conduct, discussion with teachers on ways of solving their problems and separation of politics from education issues. Based on findings, it was recommended that teachers should be provided with ethical education or training. Teachers' unethical behaviours should be handled cooperatively with the concerned educational agents. In addition, a more comprehensive study should be done by involving a larger area and representative sample to make findings highly generalizable.