Reaction:The INTO last night welcomed the commitments in the Estimates to reducing class size
John Carr, the union's general secretary, said the 500 extra teachers in primary schools showed that the Minister had been listening to the INTO.
"The class-size reduction in today's budget Estimates is a positive move and a step in the right direction."
The INTO has made class size it main policy priority for the past year.
However, the commitments on class size were criticised by Fine Gael's education spokeswoman Olwyn Enright, who said they represented "a major disappointment for children in overcrowded classrooms".
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan said there was little sign that the Government had grasped the importance of investing in our future through education at all levels.
The Estimates drew a relatively positive response from the third-level sector.
Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski, president of Irish Universities Association (IUA), said he was encouraged by the priority given by Mary Hanafin "to invest in enhancing the capacity of the higher education system to support national strategic goals".
The Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology welcomed the 7 per cent increase in funding for the sector.
Chairman Tom Collins said the increased funding would allow the institutes to meet their responsibilities regarding national pay agreements.
The Estimates drew a mixed response from second-level.
Michael Moriarty, general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, welcomed "the first increase since 1988 in the non-pay budget for VTOS and Youthreach".
TUI president Paddy Healy said the education Estimates were extremely disappointing given the buoyant state of the economy.
