About 4,000 teachers, parents and children took part in a protest in Tullamore, Co Offaly today over proposed education cuts in the Budget.
The protest was staged by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO).
Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe is refusing to row back on education cutbacks despite a round of meetings this week with teaching unions, school managers and the churches.
He met the INTO and the Church of Ireland bishops on Thursday and outlined the economic crisis facing the State while acknowledging the impact of funding cuts in schools.
Following the meeting, the INTO said that while it “fully acknowledged” the current national economic difficulties, it was gravely concerned about the impact of the Budget cutbacks on primary education and sought their reversal.
The union told the Minister that any corrective measures had to be fair and equitable. It said the Budget lacked fairness and equity, targeting as it did the old, the lower paid and children.
The INTO plans further protests in Cork and Donegal before a national protest in Dublin on December 6th.