The Taoiseach has ruled out any pay increase for teachers outside the terms of the national pay agreement less than a week before a national strike by 16,000 second-level teachers.
Mr Ahern says the Government was committed to improving the conditions and supports of teachers, but only through the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF).
Writing in The Irish Times, Mr Ahern warns members of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI), who begin their national strike on Tuesday, against entering into "the type of disputes which were too much a part of our past".
A senior Government source said last night there was no chance of the ASTI's actions prompting concessions from the Government. "We are completely committed to defending the PPF and we cannot go outside that," said the source.
The Government has refused to say whether it will pay ASTI members for the six days this month when they withdraw supervision from schools. The union has warned the Government that if it stops members' pay it will take court action.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland has set tomorrow as its deadline for action on pay by the Government. It wants the bench marking process, which rewards public servants for improved productivity, brought forward to next year.
Schools will be closed on Tuesday due to ASTI's action and pupils will also be advised to stay at home on six subsequent days when supervision is withdrawn.
Mr Ahern said the Government was supporting teaching. "Perhaps the most significant move for teachers is the fact that the Government has put in place a programme, contained in the PPF, to hire 2,500 new teachers. Classes are getting smaller and new subjects are being supported," he said. "We still have much to do, but there has been significant progress."