THE former director of Europe's largest education authority warned the conference not to become too defensive or over concern with structures in their opposition to proposed regional education boards.
Mr Frank Pignatelli, a trained Catholic religious education teacher who was director of Strathclyde Education Authority in Scotland, said they should "pause" and ask "what is going to provide a future strategic frame work for Catholic education as a system in the regions?".
Mr Pignatelli, personnel director of the Daily Mail newspaper group, said Catholic schools should unashamedly promote Catholic values.
These were cherished by the community and promoted by the national curriculum in Britain unselfishness and the need for self restraint, the dignity of the individual, respect for self and others, sensitivity to the needs and views of others, fairness and trust worthiness, loyalty and fidelity.
"Catholic schools automatically promote these values in their day to day work," he said. This was why Scottish Catholic schools were so oversubscribed.
In inculcating such lifelong values, Mr Pignatelli said Catholic schools should offer a "counter balance" to the "junk values", based on immediate gratification.
He referred to a recent European Values Survey which concluded that among young people there was an increase in individualism, a more permissive personal morality, greater belief in freedom than equality, a concern with issues like peace and human rights, tolerance towards marginalised groups and evidence of an increasingly "unchurched generation".
He warned against politicians and educational planners becoming too obsessed with schools' performance indicators, such as league tables, and strong inspection procedures, and losing sight of the central issue in education, the quality of relationships between teachers and pupils.