The State's education system could be the target of legal action because of bias, a national forum of politicians, lobbyists and senior bureaucrats has been warned.
At a meeting of the National Forum On Europe at Dublin Castle, Labour's Michael McLoughlin said schools should not be exempt from equality legislation.
"I live in an area where black and Muslim children are regularly bused out of their communities." He was referring to the practice of Catholic schools giving enrolment preference to Catholic students, making it harder for non-Catholic immigrant children to find local schools.
He could not understand how pubs and restaurants could be forced to comply with equality legislation, whereas schools "catering to four- and five-year-olds were not".
The chief executive of the Equality Authority, Niall Crowley, said commitments were needed on issues such as partnership rights for gay and lesbian couples, statutory leave entitlements that would support more equal sharing of childcare duties between men and women, and a debate on attitudes to Muslims.
There were several appeals for reform from the forum, which was discussing the future of equality after the end of the European Year of Equal Opportunities. Labour's Joe Costello criticised the "disgraceful" and inadequate processing of immigrants and asylum seekers. Blair Horan from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said the pay gap between men and women was a paradox because it only encouraged more women to stay at home and care for children.
Brian Meaney from the Green Party warned of dangers of the "increasing feminisation of our universities" that was contributing to the underperformance of male students. Sinn Féin councillor Killian Foyle said he was concerned at the plight of Roma, gypsies and Ireland's Travellers.
Fine Gael's Brian Murphy said: "There is a perception that certain people have more rights than others . . . the view that 'these people coming into our country get more money; they get television sets'. There is no reality to this."