BEIJING - As government budgets for education have been increasing, Chinese legislators are seeking ways to encourage more financial support from society.

"In terms of the total funding for education, social investments are far less than governmental financial fund," said Zhu Zhixin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Zhu responded Friday to the legislators' inquiries about how to motivate the public to invest in the country's education sector during the bimonthly session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the country's top legislature.

"To tackle the problem, the country should revise related laws and regulations concerning the legal status of private schools as well as management and accounting systems," said Zhu, adding that preferable policies regarding taxes, land, and educational talent are also necessary.

The Friday meeting reviewed a medium and long-term national plan for education reform and development (2011-2020), which states that China will increase governmental budgets for the education sector to four percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2012.

The Ministry of Education figures show that China's governmental education investment last year reached 195.6 billion yuan, up 18.54 percent year on year, accounting for 3.66 percent of the country's total GDP.

Zhu also called for more incentive policies to encourage public donations, including the establishment of a transparent, credible and professional operating system for fund management.

In addition, the legislators also questioned issues such as the reasonable use of the educational fund, balancing resources for compulsory education among different regions, and improving all-round skills of students.