The Labour Party is calling for State support for private schools to be phased out.

The Department of Education paid the salaries of teachers in 52 private schools last year, at a cost of nearly €95.4m.

Just over 25,600 boys and girls attended them during the 2018-2019 academic year.

The figures were released to Newstalk under Freedom of Information legislation.

Labour's education spokesman Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the State is effectively subsidising a “two-tier education system.”

“The vast majority of Irish students go to second level schools in the free system,” he said.

“It is hard to justify subventing what is an exclusionary procedure in certain fee-paying schools.”

The highest amount was paid to teachers in St Andrew’s College in Dublin.

Arthur Godsil, a former headmaster of the school, says Labour's view doesn't stack up.

“If the State took over all the teachers, all the schools moved over the State sector and some have, those teachers would still have to be paid; the students would still have to educated,” he said.

“In actual fact, it is the parents who in paying fees are subsidising the education of the children.

“In fee-charging schools, the schools get very little assistance apart from the teachers which are given to them.”

Teachers in Blackrock, Wesley and Belvedere colleges were all paid a total of over 3.5 million in 2018-2019.