Teachers have voted to take industrial action, which may include a strike, over the Government's handling of the economic crisis.
The ballot involved 60,000 members of the Association of Secondary Teachers, the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Teachers Union of Ireland.
In a joint statement, the general secretaries of the three unions said the results showed clearly the anger of teachers at what they described as the Government's inequitable handling of the economy.
The Irish Federation of University Teachers is expected to begin balloting its members on industrial action next week.
In response to the result of the ballot, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe said: 'The Government had to make decisions in the interest of the wider public and in the long-term interest of the country.
'Teachers, like all other public servants, should take that into consideration'.
