Saskatchewan schools will have provincially-regulated instruction time, standard testing and a scheduled start date — but no cap on class sizes, according to the minister of education.

Russ Marchuk said Wednesday the province will not mandate how many students can be in a class, even though there are cases where he says class sizes are not ideal.

Marchuk, a former teacher, says schools should, in his words, "distribute some resources" to deal with class sizes.

NDP education critic David Forbes says some classrooms are bursting, especially in Saskatoon and Regina, and that means less time to focus on individual students.

Forbes said he was aware of a school in Saskatoon that will have 95 kindergarten students in the fall.

In Alberta, the ministry of education has noted that classroom size is important to education outcomes and has implemented a program to reduce class sizes.

In a report on the initiative, the Alberta ministry said it was providing funds to local officials to support smaller class sizes.

"When it comes to class sizes, schools and school boards are in the best position to determine classroom organization that supports parent and student educational choice," the report said. "[The Alberta] government does not specify a maximum class size because there are no ‘one size fits all’ solutions."

With files from CBC's Stefani Langenegger