Private middle and primary schools in Beijing can, for the first time, be named after their financial backers, local education authorities said.
Government-funded schools can also benefit from the new policy that was adopted by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education earlier this month, though few of them have obtained large privateinvestments so far in the city.
Before the policy, privately-run middle and primary schools were not allowed to do so without approval from education authorities.
The commission lifted the ban this year because many private schools are "willing" to be named after their investors and after all, it "poses no conflict with any law or regulations".
However, school investors do not enjoy management power and cannot interfere with school affairs, according to the new policy.
The Law on Private Education Promotion, which took effect in September 2003, stipulated that "private school investors can get a reasonable repayment after deducting schooling costs and reserving development funds".