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"The report suggested that we need a strategy for failure prevention in primary education," Mr Leung said.
"Interestingly, the response from the Association of Heads of Secondary Schools made no reference at all to this suggestion, even though many secondary schools have a hard job to provide a good education to those who leave primary school with a sense of failure.
"Another group of professional educators, working in an important area of our support services, responded by saying: 'The factors causing a sense of failure among students are complicated, and it is unrealistic to want to prevent all of it.'
"The first part of that response is obviously true," Mr Leung noted. "All the more reason, then, for a strategy to identify and tackle as many of the complicated, failure-inducing factors as we can.
"But the second part of that response shows clearly the point I am trying to make. There are still professional educators, including some in positions of influence, who believe we should not even try to achieve the public policy goal of universal education.
"If we cannot persuade such educators to face up to the realities of the present day, to the desires and demands of the community and the needs of all our young people,.what hope is there for tackling those important issues of quality in education which we face now?" Mr Leung asked.
In another example, Mr Leung noted a finding of the perception survey conducted on behalf of the Working Group on Language Proficiency earlier this year.
"The survey found that the Chinese Language syllabus is perceived to be 'uninteresting' and 'lacking in relevance to the students lives' - not just by students, but by teachers as well," Mr Leung said.
"When the teachers themselves share this rather damning perception, one must ask: Why have professional educators in the area of Chinese Language teaching not been able to push for changes which will lead to more interesting teaching approaches, more effective learning, and a more enjoyable and rewarding teaching career?" Mr Leung asked.
Mr Leung urged educators themselves to take a hard look at their professional responsibilities, and respond positively to the opportunities offered by the report on Quality in School Education, published on December 7.