Plans by the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, to cut education spending by €36 million have run into fierce opposition from teachers, students and other education interests.
Mr Dempsey, who has been in office for three months, was criticised across the education system yesterday, following a report in The Irish Times about the cuts.
Some groups called on him to reverse the measures. Others said cuts should only be made in areas not connected to education for disadvantaged students.
During the summer Mr Dempsey announced that the student registration charge would rise by almost 70 per cent. This also drew an angry reaction from education interests.
Yesterday the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said the latest cuts, following on from the registration fee increase, showed Mr Dempsey had "contempt for those who are trying to gain an education".
The primary teachers' union, the INTO, said the Government's obsession with balancing the books before December had hit a new low.
Its general secretary, Mr John Carr, said: "To cut primary educational expenditure is a scandal but to target the disadvantaged is unforgivable. This proposal must be withdrawn immediately."
He added: "The Minister for Education is fooling nobody when he announces expenditure savings while at the same time claiming that none of the cuts will result in a reduction in current services."
Another teachers' union, the TUI, said it was particularly concerned that the cuts seemed to be directed at the disadvantaged. Its president, Mr Derek Dunne, said: "These should be the last, as opposed to the first people, to suffer from expenditure cuts."
He said the targeting of adult education, which provided a second-chance education for many, was a disgrace.
"The Minister's fine words on taking up office, particularly in relation to targeting resources to tackle educational disadvantage, ring hollow following this announcement," he added.
Mr Dunne said teacher unions were also particularly annoyed that the Department had not explained in detail where the cuts would be implemented.
This view was echoed by Mr George O'Callaghan, of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents school managers. He said schools at this stage had little idea what the Department was planning.
Aontas, the adult education group, joined in the criticism and said the Government had performed a major "U-turn".
Its director, Ms Berni Brady, said there would be a backlash from its members across the country who had fought hard to secure additional funding and supports for the adult education service.
Mr Dempsey defended his position yesterday, saying some programmes had not come fully into operation yet and the Department could claw back some of this money.
He said that despite the criticism, his priority would remain tackling disadvantage.