Message from Dr. Paul Lau, Council Chairman

Our Institute was founded by Rev. Deignan S.J. in 1997 with a team of professionals committed to education. Over the years, our Institute has provided various values education programmes to teachers, undergraduates, parents and practitioners of different professions. Rev. Deignan S.J. passed away in 2018, he has left a legacy of the “golden rule” that will continue to influence our works on “Value Education”. Our Institute has been blessed and enriched by his love and visionary contributions.

In the past years, despite the epidemic, we managed to provide basic value education courses for undergraduates from tertiary institutions, business ethics programmes for senior secondary school students and their parents.

We strive to continue with the visions left to us by Rev. Deignan S.J. Hong Kong is facing rapid changes, our belief that “people want and need honesty, respect, trust and responsibility in order to live together in greater harmony” remains unchanged.

Message from the Rev. Fr. Deignan, former Council Chairman

A group of people gathered together in 1996 to share their concern about the absence or deterioration of basic human values among the people of Hong Kong, especially among the young. Based on research done on the attitudes of youth, there seemed to be a growing lack of respect; of a sense of responsibility; of trust and of honesty in society. What could we do?

We felt that the answer lay in education and so the Hong Kong International Institute of Educational Leadership (HKIIEL) was born. In 1997 on 19^th February the HKIIEL was registered as an incorporated limited company and as a charitable institute was exempted from tax. The Institute is governed by a Council, a Management Board and an Academic Board.

The main focus at the beginning was to provide moral values education for teachers. Courses in basic human values, character formation, ethics, leadership and moral education were greatly needed in order to support teachers in their efforts to educate "good" people, not just subject - educated people who pass examinations.

Soon we realized that since parents have a very strong influence on their children, we should help them in forming their attitudes and behaviour. So we developed courses for parents working through the school PTAs.

As a result of the requirement of the Education and Manpower Branch, that Principals take courses for their Continuing Professional Development, we provided a four-session course on four topics which related to schools i.e. Honesty, Responsibilities and Rights, Respect and Justice. These were very well attended and appreciated.

On the 6^th February 2004 the Institute organized an Ethics in Business Conference attended by 165 persons and judging from the feedback, people considered it very valuable in promoting good ethical practice in doing business.

We run seminars; staff development courses for schools and produce a quarterly newsletter.

People want and need honesty, respect, trust and responsibility in order to live together in greater harmony and so our motto is the golden rule:

Do unto others as you would wish them to do to you.