Education: University heads and primary teachers have rejected the ESRI's recommendation of a €40 million reduction in capital spending on education.
The ESRI is critical of the Department of Education and Science because, it says, the Department has no coherent plan for school building at any level.
The report advises a cut in capital spending at primary, secondary and third levels combined, from €489 million to €450 million.
Primary school buildings should be repaired, maintained or renovated, rather than being allowed to fall apart, the ESRI says.
There is no need to build at third level because the population of 18- to 22- year-olds is dropping. The ESRI does recognise, however, that a greater focus on continuing education could have implications for infrastructure.
It recommends that rapidly developing suburban areas, with a growing school-going population, be targeted for new-school building. Development levies should help pay for these buildings, which would encourage families to move to certain areas, it says.
Capital spending at primary and secondary level should be increased, not decreased, said Labour Party spokeswoman on Education Ms Jan O'Sullivan.
"Many primary school buildings have been starved of funding for so long that they are irreparable," she said.
Mr John Carr, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), described as "complete and absolute rubbish" the ESRI's statement that "in the primary sector the incentives to maintain or repair schools are weak".
The INTO has demanded €300 million a year for five years to update or replace 400 substandard schools.
Mr Carr said: "The only thing that is weak when it comes to maintaining and repairing schools is funding and this should have been acknowledged by the ESRI."
Also critical of the report was the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities, which said increased research and development was impossible without increased spending on infrastructure.
"You must invest in IT, lab equipment and other modern facilities in order to be at the cutting edge of training graduates," said the conference's director, Mr Michael McGrath.
It was impossible to meet the State's demand for more trained therapists in the health area without improving facilities, he added.
"Economists, politicians and others are advocating research and development as being in the interest of the economy, but you cannot do this without additional capital investment. Already, the Republic is at the middle to the bottom of the OECD in terms of capital investment."
The ESRI said that the funding for modern languages in primary schools was not fully used, indicating a lack of interest in the programme.
The ESRI's suggestion that spending on modern languages in primary schools be cut has been described as outrageous, by Ms Anne Kelleher, director of the Education Centre in Co Kildare.
Ms Kelleher said there was such enthusiasm for the programme that there was a waiting list of 75 schools.
Spending was not higher because the number of participating schools had been capped by the Department of Education and Science, she said.
Mr Carr said: "Clearly this report recommends that we turn our back on Europe as cultural partners and also on future economic needs of this country."