China has spent 2.82 percent of its annual gross domestic product (GDP) in education, up 0.03 percentage point year on year, according to an official report.

"China's total official education fund reached 842 billion yuan (US$105.25 billion) in 2005, up 16 percent over the previous year," showed a recent report on the 2005 national education fund.

The report, jointly released by the Ministry of Education, National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Finance, is the latest on the country's use of official educational outlay.

The report showed the country's government educational expenditure made up about 14.58 percent of all the state budget expenses, down 0.32 percentage point over the previous year.

The central government is aiming to make educational outlay reach four percent of its GDP in the next few years, according to the Resolution on Major Issues Regarding Building of Harmonious Socialist Society.

By the end of 2007, the government would have eliminated all charges for the country's 160 million rural students receiving a nine-year compulsory education, almost 80 percent of China's primary and junior middle school students.

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