Students at a secondary school in Castlebar, Co Mayo are staging a demonstration outside the school in protest at the ongoing dispute between the Government and the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI).
Yesterday, the school's 400 pupils were sent home when six of the school’s 38 teachers failed to report for duty.
Some 350 students in Bailieborough, Co Cavan will also miss out on classes today due to staffing difficulties.
ASTI said there was no question of members organising a co-ordinated sick day arising out of the dispute.
Meanwhile, the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) called on the Minister for Education Mr Woods to intervene to resolve the dispute over supervision and substitution.
The ASTI is refusing to negotiate on the supervision issue until its overall pay claim is settled. It also wants retrospective supervision payments for retired teachers, something Mr Woods will not even consider.
The call from the INTO and the TUI comes as industrial action by the ASTI enters its third day.
After a meeting with Minister Woods last week the ASTI said it was not planning to resume negotiations until their pay claim was dealt with. However, its 23-member standing committee is due to meet next week to review the dispute.