Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has expressed unease about a website which allows students "rate" their teachers anonymously.
The site, ratemyteachers.ie, now claims to have over 63,000 ratings on almost 13,000 second-level teachers. According to the site's own statistics, the Irish version has been 10 times more successful than the British one.
It is understood the British backers of the site have selected unpaid moderators in several dozen schools. These students decide what appears about their school.
Yesterday Ms Hanafin told The Irish Times: "It is entirely inappropriate that any teacher should be evaluated in this very public way."
She said teachers evaluate their pupils in a confidential way, and they had the right to expect the same degree of confidentiality.
It is understood that the Department accepts there is little it can do about the site as policing the internet is virtually impossible. However, the secondary teachers' union Asti is seeking legal advice on the matter.