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A league table of 400 secondary schools was published recently which lists schools based on the percentage of sixth formers attend university. The study reveals a clear bias in favour of private fee-paying schools. Of the 54 fee-paying schools listed in the table, 34 are in the 70 highest listed schools. Nine of the 10 highest listed boys schools and five of the 10 highest listed girls schools are fee-paying.

The ASTI and schoolteachers explain the difference by factors such as a school's proximity to university and certain intangiable socio-economic factors such as parents' support and educational aspirations for their children.

Economic advantage is also a factor. The Department of Education pays a school the salary of one teacher for every 18 pupils, but schools may opt to employ additional teaching resources should they wish. Fee-paying schools generally do, and they have more money to improve the student teacher ratio. Fee-paying schools also have the resources to afford better facilities, sports coaches and cultural activities that contribute to overall education. 

Most fee-paying schools are oversubscribed and many apply academic assesment tests  to select the most academic students. Many others automatically allow the siblings or offspring of past pupils, thereby condensing educational advantage to priviliged families.

The popularity of fee-paying schools is in part a product of Ireland's new found affluence. It is also a product of the introduction in 1995 of 'free fees' for Third level education by then Minister for Education, Labour's Niamh Breathnach. This contributed to educational advantage of the wealthy; parents could now invest in second level education instead of saving for third level fees.

Minister for Education, Mary Hannifin, seeems confused about whether or not a two tier system of education exists. Speaking on Questions and Answers last month, Hannifin said that students receive an 'equally good quality of education whether they are in a fee paying school or a non fee paying school'. However, she also said that the creation of additional fee-paying schools would not be funded because she doesn't want 'to expand the system that discriminates based on the ability to pay'.