Education analysts and experts are calling on the public to have an open mind on a new way of educating children in China - the home-school.

"It is possible that a rising number of Chinese parents will choose to educate their children at home instead of sending them to public schools in the future," said Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences.

Chu's remarks follow a recent survey showing that about 18,000 children on the Chinese mainland now receive their education at home.