On 29-30 June, 2023, the Open University of China (OUC) organised a seminar in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, aimed at advancing the initiatives of the OUC Credit Bank.
The event was hosted by the OUC and coordinated by Guizhou Open University (OU). Li Song, vice president of the OUC and director of the OUC Credit Bank, delivered a speech during the seminar. Tang Jian, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and president of Guizhou OU, as well as Zhu Xinyu, secretary of the Party Committee of Zunyi Branch of Guizhou OU, also delivered speeches. The seminar was attended by university leaders, divisional leaders, and relevant staff from the nine branches responsible for Credit Bank operations.
Li Song emphasized that the establishment of credit banks is a significant endeavor in advancing the modernization of education, as mandated by the Party and the State. General Secretary Xi Jinping highlighted in the fifth group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee that "efforts should be coordinated to develop vocational education, higher education, and continuing education, promoting integration between vocational education and general education, industry and education, and science and education." Furthermore, the report of the 20th Party Congress clearly outlined the goal of "promoting the digitalisation of education and building a learning society and country where lifelong learning is pursued by all." It has become increasingly evident that credit banks serve as a vital instrument in establishing a horizontally integrated and vertically connected lifelong education system and fostering a learning society.
Li highlighted that guided by the OUC, the open university system has embarked on a distinctive path in building credit banks, yielding notable cases that have garnered recognition and national awards for their effectiveness and social impact. He put forth several expectations for the future development of credit banks. Firstly, he emphasized the importance of conducting in-depth research to identify specific needs, urging local credit banks to leverage their regional characteristics and proactively meet those needs, thereby establishing a model for credit bank construction that serves the lifelong learning society at the local level. Secondly, he urged seizing the opportunity presented by the national education digitalisation strategy and utilizing new technologies to drive innovation and development in the business model of credit banks. Lastly, he stressed the significance of leveraging the demonstration, leadership, and radiating effect of exemplary cases, fostering a collaborative development pattern within the system.
Wang Ran, executive deputy director of the OUC Credit Bank, provided an update on the progress of constructing the OUC Credit Bank, highlighting the key tasks and construction goals for 2023. These tasks encompassed the digitalisation strategy initiative of the Credit Bank, the ongoing construction project of the digital university in the field of continuing education, and the implementation of the national credit bank demonstration county for vocational education. Wang urged all sub-centres to actively engage in these critical tasks and collaborate in areas such as developing a standardized system, implementing digital business support, expanding the results directory, and facilitating the transfer of learning outcomes. These efforts aim to advance the establishment of a networked, digitalised, personalised, and lifelong credit bank system.
The leaders of the eight branches responsible for credit bank operations, along with other school leaders, shared insights on the current state of credit bank development in their respective regions. They discussed existing achievements, shared experiences and best practices, identified challenges, and provided suggestions pertaining to the credit banks.
The divisional leaders and relevant personnel responsible for credit bank operations in six branches shared their theoretical exploration and practical experiences in constructing credit banks in different regions.
The event served to further enhance the role of credit banks in constructing a learning society and a nation that fosters lifelong learning for all. It achieved this by harnessing the collective development synergy within the system and facilitating collaborative innovation across vocational education, higher education, and continuing education. The discussions centered around the role of credit banks in supporting the development and transformation of open education, as well as in building a learning-oriented nation. The event clarified the future development ideas for credit banks and effectively translated system linkage, mechanism interoperability, and resource sharing into a new driving force to propel the high-quality development of credit banks.
Written by Sun Jingyi, photographed by Zhi Yong