The Green Party has hit out at Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, claiming their education policies lacked any real substance and would do little to provide more school places and reduce class sizes.
The party's education spokesman Paul Gogarty said that neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael had shown any vision on education and instead had settled for the bare minimum.
Mr Gogarty described Fianna Fáil's proposal to spend an additional €250 million out of the Department of Education Budget on new schools and reducing class sizes as "a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed".
The Dublin Mid-West TD was even more critical of Fine Gael's proposed spend of €200 million on a school excellence fund which he called "a grandiose-sounding mish-mash that offers no real comfort to parents and teachers".
He said Fine Gael's education policy is nothing more than another colossal con job.
Outlining his own party's education policy in Dublin today, Mr Gogarty said the Green Party has earmarked an additional €1 billion targeted investment in our education system across a range of areas including adult literacy, building programmes, student supports and special needs
"€1 billion is the minimum amount required to provide new schools, reduce class sizes and prepare the next generation for the economic challenges that lie ahead.
"However all of the other parties seem to be falling well short of this figure. Both of these parties [Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil] are also promising tax cuts to the tune of €1 billion, the very amount we believe should be spent on our education system.
This is nothing short of outrageous," he said
Mr Gogarty said: "Fianna Fáil have fooled us before on education and they won't get it away with again. They have broken promises, they have under-invested and have failed to grasp the opportunity presented by our booming economy".
He said he was both surprised and concerned that Fine Gael are following the easy path of Fianna Fáil deception at a time when we need leadership and real funding in our education system.