The increase in the number of grind schools in the State is the worst and most dangerous sign of the "consumerist" approach to education, a conference in Galway has heard.
Grind schools make no pretence whatsoever to provide a holistic education, and concentrate exclusively on achieving good examination grades for those who can afford them, said Mr Michael McCann, president of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals.
"These institutions would not exist and thrive if they were not perceived by parents and others as valuable," he said.
Mr McCann also criticised some secondary schools for being reluctant to accept students who are disadvantaged by virtue of ethnic background, special needs, or some other real or perceived difference.
All schools funded by the taxpayer should take their fair share of such students, he said.
Another example of the consumerist approach to education was that schools were being used by business interests as production units for the labour market rather than as citizens of a creative economy, according to the Labour TD, Mr Michael D. Higgins. This "aggressive" approach was leading to violence and depression among young people.
An increasing number of parents are suing the State due to inadequate provision of educational resources for children with special needs, the conference heard in a workshop on the treatment of disability under the Equal Status Act 2000. The Act could be a catalyst for further litigation, said Mr Pat Curtain, chief executive officer of the National Council for Special Education.
Principals discussed the fact that there were also a minority of parents who did not want to accept that their children had special needs. Other parents were insisting that their children with special needs take part in mainstream education even though it may be inappropriate.
Under the new legislation, parents who refused to comply with a principal's suggested approach could be taken to an appeals court by schools, Mr Curtain said. He also revealed that the new special needs organisers being hired by the Department of Education and Science do not have to be trained in education.
Principals spoke of their frustration in waiting for three years for psychological assessment for children with behaviour difficulties. The mood at the conference, which was attended by nearly 500 principals and deputy principals, was that they were being required by legislation to create "inclusive" schools without being given the resources to do so.