The roles were reversed at Ahmed Timol Secondary School, west of Johannesburg, when pupils failed to show up for classes while all but three teachers attended school yesterday morning.
Only one teacher attended yesterday's march in Pretoria, while two teachers called in sick.
Only "nine percent" of pupils came to school.
Deputy principal Asmal Khan told Sowetan that "95 percent" of the teaching staff were at work yesterday.
The school has 40 teachers.
Khan said the "no work no pay policy" might have encouraged the teacher turnout.
Meanwhile, services at government departments were badly affected by yesterday's stayaway.
About 30 staff members at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria did not report for duty.
Interpreters at the Roode- poort magistrate's court joined the march, causing several postponements.
A skeleton staff at Roode- poort's Home Affairs office helped those collecting IDs, while counters for new ID applications stood empty.
In Soweto the Zola clinic was manned by senior staff.
The matron refused to say how many nurses came to work, but a nurse said: "Many nurses signed the attendance register but later joined the march."
There was disruption at Chris Hani Baragwanth Hospital when six buses entered the premises to pick up workers heading for Pretoria.
Health Department spokesperson Fidel Hadebe said: "We will continue to monitor the impact of the strike on service delivery."
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