Professor Clive Dimmock, a well-known specialist in education from the United Kingdom, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the 2nd Hong Kong School Principals’ Conference. Choosing “Leading Schools in Troubled Times: Salvaging and Restoring Professional Identity, Purpose and Satisfaction” as the subject of his speech, Professor Dimmock analysed how school management can re-build the sense of purpose and values in education under the current teaching environment, to help educators regain a sense of satisfaction from teaching and learning, and thus to the restoration of their professional identity.

He proposed four strategies for action among school principals in Hong Kong.

Strategy 1: School principals must develop a strong sense of personal and professional education values, which they fully believe in.

At the moment, school principals often have no choice but to exercise "bastard leadership" (a direct quote from Professor Dimmock) to implement government policies that drive efficiency and performance over personal and professional beliefs. To change this situation, school principals must develop a set of moral values, conducive to the educational, social and personal well-being of students and teachers alike. They must also use this same set of values to mediate and regulate government's education policies, to create through their own vision and personal convictions, an environment that champions social equality, tolerance and pluralism in their schools