27-thousand secondary teachers are due to walk off the job today in a row over Junior Cert reform.
The one day strike is going ahead despite an 11th hour appeal by the Taoiseach yesterday, who told unions the compromise on the table is reasonable and should be accepted.
The ASTI and TUI are unhappy with plans to make them assess 40 per cent of the work of their own students.
Today's industrial action follows a similar work stoppage in December and there could be at least one more strike in the weeks ahead.
350-thousand pupils will be forced to stay at home later - but the TUI's President, Gerry Quinn, says they have their students' best interests at heart:
