For the eleventh day in this academic year, over 600 secondary schools were closed yesterday. With both the Government and the ASTI digging in - and Department of Education's contingency plans apparently in some disarray - concern about the threat to this year's exam has become acute.
It is the weaker and the more socially disadvantaged students who are suffering most. At this critical time in the school year, the brighter students are capable of working on their own initiative. The weaker students, more in need of guidance and direction from the class teacher, will be less able to make up the lost time.
Those with less substantial financial resources are also losing out. Students from more prosperous homes are enrolling in droves at grind schools and private colleges for extra tuition. Poorer students do not have this option, as the Catholic bishops pointed out in their sensitive and reasonable statement last night.
In truth, every one of the 60,000 Leaving Certificate students is suffering. During one of the most stressful periods of their lives, they are being used as hostages by the ASTI. This can hardly be what the majority of secondary teachers want? Is there not a better way?
In his statement last night, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern gave no quarter to the ASTI. He reiterated the essence of the Labour Court findings. The ASTI's case is not unique. They should be prepared to make it before the benchmarking pay review body. Accusing them of abandoning their students, he said the Government would press ahead with the exams, despite them.
These are strong words from a politician who normally prefers compromise to confrontation. But Mr Ahern has no choice. The ASTI has rejected the findings of the Public Service Arbitration Board. It has summarily dismissed the carefully crafted findings of the Labour Court. It has not shown a morsel of flexibility to the people most vulnerable to its action - in this case the Leaving Certificate class of 2001. Indeed, the contrast with the manner in which the nurses dealt with emergency cases during their dispute is striking.
The nurses were able to build on substantial public support. So far, the public has failed to rally behind the ASTI. Over 30,000 teaching colleagues in the INTO and the TUI have also chosen a different way to press still larger pay claims through benchmarking. The ASTI, for reasons it still has to adequately explain, says benchmarking is not acceptable.
At this stage, this dispute is no longer about whether the ASTI deserves a pay increase. The need for this is accepted by the Labour Court and by the Government. In a bizarre twist, this dispute is now about the manner in which this pay increase is given to the ASTI.
For all of this, the ASTI is prepared to target 17 and 18 year olds. And it is prepared to damage the status of the teaching profession. The cost is too high. And the Government is right not to pay it.