The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has been criticised by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) for refusing an invitation to address the annual teachers' conferences over Easter.
In a letter to the teachers' unions, the Minister said he wanted to abandon what he described as "the current dated format of set piece speeches".
Mr Dempsey said he was in favour turning the conferences into a forum on the future of education.
However members of the INTO today criticised the Minister's decision.