By Nikolai Trigoub-Rotnem, President of the Union of Secondary Students The Union of Secondary Students (USS) is shocked that the publication of School League Tables is seen as good for the Irish education system. USShas consistently argued that the League Tables give little detail about how well schools compare relative to one another. It is unfair and irresponsible to compare the college entry figures of a school where all the students have at least one college-educated parent, to a school in which few if any of the students' parents have a third level qualification. Unfortunately this is exactly what is happening, and we are being told that the only reason these schools excel is due to that fact they are fee-paying schools. A school in a socially disadvantaged areacannot hope to compete with a prosperousfee-paying school in regard to college places. Yet the league tables do not take account of the amount of good schools in socially deprived areas. The socially disadvantaged school, just like the fee-paying school, is trying to get its students to reach their full potential, and in their case it may not be collegebut rather just completing the Leaving Certificate. College entry figures alone do not make a good school and it is unfortunate that the tables ignore sport and other extra-curricular activities, factors that are very important in the formation of young adults. The USS is worried that the media frenzy surrounding the publication of League Tables will divert the school management's attention from extra-curricular activities and instead focus on academic success, thus turning schools into points factories, further increasing stress on both teachers and students. Schools should not be shoved into one bracket. Some schools consider it a great year when 90% of their students get into college; others consider it a great year when 90% of their students pass the Leaving Certificate. The League Tables do not account for the social and economic factors that influence a school's results and for this reason - and many others - they should not be held as a reliable measure of a school's contribution to society.