The Director of Education yesterday decided to press ahead with a plan to add two more pupils to each primary class, despite the objections of more than half the SAR's teachers and principals.
Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping called on educational groups to work for students' long-term interests, saying the increase to a 34.5 average class size was needed to speed whole-day schooling.
But educational groups put out a statement last night reproaching the Government for ignoring their opinions and vowing to continue fighting the expansion in class size due to start with Primary One in September.
About 20,000 of some 30,000 teachers and 800 of the 1,100 school principals have signed petitions objecting to the scheme.
The statement said newly elected legislator Democrat Cheung Man-kwong would sponsor a motion debate and seek co-operation from other parties to urge the Government to shelve the plan.
The statement said that by putting two more students in each class the teaching environment would be seriously damaged.