Aodhán Ó Ríordáin wants to ban single sex schools

Except it does.

Do a google search on single-sex schools outperforming co-ed schools, and you'll find a rake of research papers talking about it. It comes down to the differences in boys/girls learning styles, but also that single-sex schools tend to hire teachers to match their students gender. Male teachers being able to understand the needs of boy students and female students meeting the needs of girl students. That's not to say that female teachers can't teach male students (and vice versa), but typically, there is a greater connection between students and teachers where the gender matches, and that results in better learning outcomes for the students. If a teacher is a crap teacher, that isn't going to help, but with teachers who care about their students, often a male teacher with a male student can form a better connection, than that of a female teacher.

There are heaps of reasons listed as to why single-sex schools typically outperform co-ed schools, and that's been shown in research in many countries from S. Korea through to the US.

The purpose of school is to learn effectively, not to mingle with the opposite gender, and in fact, you'll find that many students have very limited contact with the opposite gender in co-ed schools, simply due to the dynamics of childrens development, and the fears many of them have. In any case, in any kind of populated area with a variety of single-sex schools, students get to meet each other after school, or through a range of activities organised by the schools themselves. I went to a single-sex school, and that didn't stop me from meeting girls after school. My secondary school was mixed, and quite honestly, my interactions with girls was limited, due to the circles of friendships that formed, and simply that the two genders tend to gravitate towards those of their own gender to form groups.

Posters here seem dedicated to ignore the simple fact that single-sex schools are better for the students in terms of learning... and it's questionable just how much interaction that most boys/girls have with each other in such schools, and whether they won't get the same from extra-curricular activities.