The Open University of China (OUC) launched its first “OUC Student English Speech Competition” in December of 2017 to further implement its “OUC Community” operational concept, enrich the campus culture, and exhibit the capacity of students to express themselves in English. The preliminary branch contests held nationwide have concluded, and more than 100 competitors from 22 branches will enter the quarter-finals.

All the OUC branches attach great importance to this competition, and collaborative working committees consisting of university leadership, personnel from teaching and student management, and foreign-language-department staff have been established to undertake selection using videos, expert reviews, onsite contests, and so on. At this point, 122 competitors from 22 branches have outperformed their opponents to enter the quarter-finals. The competitors are divided into English majors and non-English majors, with the latter including students from more than 40 majors: social work, pre-school education, and so on. The competitors range in age from their 20s to their 40s and 50s, and all use English, the international language, to convey the feelings of OUC students. The speech topics range from the competitor’s growth at the OUC to his or her new life there, all elaborated in fluent and clear English with either a pleasant American or noble British accent. The competition is a stage on which students can exhibit themselves, enhance their sense of belonging, and help create a positive and healthy campus culture.

The competition has also helped to enhance the enthusiasm of English teachers for their work, since it has shown them how many of their students love learning and using English.

Experts will be invited to the quarter-finals to conduct online and onsite selection of competitors to enter the final to be held in June in Beijing.

The English speech competition at the Guangdong branch

The English speech competition at the Anhui branch

Experts reviewing the English speech competition at the Gansu branch

The English speech competition at the Dalian branch

By Liu Ning, OUC