About 200 students from Jianxin Middle School in Chongqing Municipality stood in front of a supermarket at 7:43 AM on Saturday in protest at their school holding classes on weekends.
About 15 minutes later, more than 100 students, who are from the school's graduating classes, decided to remain protesting rather than enter the school.
One student complained the school had told them to be there by 8:30am and attend seven classes, meaning they would not finish until late in the afternoon.
The students are required to complete another half day of classes on Sundays.
On October 15, the Jiangbei district education committee, where the school is located, banned schools from having extra classes.
But parental pressure has forced the school to continue, said Duan Zhibin, the school's headmaster.
Some parents employed tutors to teach their children, which left those who couldn't afford the extra fees worried their children would lag classmates.
While the students are unwilling to take extra classes, negotiations with teachers and the headmaster did not resolve the issue, with parents urging the restart of the practice.
(eastday.com November 1, 2004))
