Secondary-school pupils showed up their striking teachers in the centre of Dublin yesterday when they shouted louder, marched for longer and managed to spell the words on their placards correctly.
The students also upstaged the teachers by singing the Fields of Athenry in perfect harmony, a feat only achieved fleetingly during the ASTI mass rally a fortnight ago outside the Dail.
More than 300, mainly female, students from more than 30 Dublin schools took part in the boisterous rally which at times threatened to perforate the eardrums of the public.
Armed with whistles, loudspeakers and that obligatory teenage accessory, the mobile phone, the students managed to create a splash of colour as they marched from St Stephen's Green to the Dail.
Unlike the ASTI rally in the same spot, the public gave them unqualified support throughout, despite having to cover their ears as the din grew deafening. The schools involved covered all classes and creeds.
The students carried placards calling for dialogue between the teachers and the Government. Their chant throughout: "What do we want - education. When do we want it - now!"
When they reached the Dail at about noon they were met by a wall of barriers and gardai. But they decided against confrontation and instead handed in a letter of protest for the Minister for Education, Dr Woods.
"It is the student body who are most affected by this action. It is not our pay packets on the line, it is our futures," the letter said.
Earlier in the day a smaller group of students handed in a letter of protest to the ASTI headquarters on Dublin's Winetavern Street.