VII. Witness the improvement of education quality to specific groups
13. Give tailored educational trainings to specific groups
Objectives: To rationalise the educational system and mechanism for groups such as the disabled, non-commissioned officers, industrial workers, and farmers, in order to promote equal access to education and demonstrate the OUC’s social responsibility.
Measures: To formulate an educational development plan for the disabled, to rationalise the management system and operation mechanism of the School for the Disabled, to sign the new round of cooperation agreements on school running, and to study particular targeted assistance policies; to strengthen communication and cooperation with the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and local disabled persons’ federations, to mobilise the strength of the entire OUC system to be positively involved in the education for the disabled; to research the characteristics of army education and to improve the operation of the Bayi School and College for the ZhongYou in cooperation with the Military Commission and other related departments; to continue education and teaching reform projects such as Realising Dreams of Further Education, Industrial Workers, the Ministry of Education One College Student Per Village Programme, and the Rural Revitalisation Project.
VIII. Improve targeted poverty alleviation
14. Implement the poverty alleviation tasks of the Ministry of Education
Objectives: To complete the poverty alleviation tasks of the Ministry of Education and to highlight the characteristics and contributions of the OUC’s work on poverty alleviation.
Measures: To focus on improving the OUC's responsibilities assigned by the Ministry of Education, including an innovative training platform to upgrade the information technology application capacity of primary and middle school teachers, the extension and popularisation plan, as well as the task of assisting Qinglong and Weixian. RMB 2 million will be invested in supporting rural teachers in the “Three Regions and Three Prefectures” areas through degree continuing education, and to set up a popularisation pilot project to extend and popularise poverty-alleviation resources. RMB 2 million will be invested in the construction of cloud classrooms and in encouraging the sharing of quality education resources with accountability areas for poverty alleviation.
15. Alleviate poverty along the “Long March Belt” and provide assistance to Tibet and Xinjiang
Objectives：To put into full effect all poverty alleviation tasks and to make real achievements.
Measures: To continue to implement the OUC “Long March Belt” Educational Project Targeted at Alleviating Poverty; to invest RMB 7 million to fund degree education projects for 5,000 people; to invest RMB 2 million to support around 60 non-degree education projects; to invest RMB 1.8 million in the construction of 18 cloud classrooms; to earnestly fulfil all assistance agreements for poverty alleviation, to enhance the coordination of partner assistance projects, to stimulate the endogenous driving force of the assisted units, and to increase the effect of poverty alleviation through education; to fulfil the major assistance tasks of completing the assistance agreements to give partner support to Xinjiang Radio and TV University (RTVU) and the RTVU of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and to Tibet University for the joint construction of the Tibet Branch of the Open University of China during the 13th Five-Year Plan period on the whole; to continue to implement the distance education support plan in northeastern China; to implement the relevant projects to support Qinghai Province and Tongliao City of Inner Mongolia.
IX. Speed up the OUC's internationalisation
16. Carry out extensive international cooperation and exchanges
Objectives: To serve the national foreign affairs strategy and to promote the OUC around the world.
Measures: To participate in education-related aspects of the Belt and Road Initiative; to launch exchanges among scholars in countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative; to conduct studies and investigations and to write reports on open distance education in the countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative; to inaugurate the Overseas Learning Centre in Pakistan, to prepare for the establishment of overseas learning centres in Egypt, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea, and to explore a simultaneous development model for Chinese language and culture along with vocational education.
System construction in the field of foreign affairs will be strengthened. Consistent attention will be paid to the development of international distance education and the in-depth study of development trends, and proposals will be made to the OUC’s international development. Overseas research programmes will be expanded for teachers within the OUC system and new exchange programmes for scholars will be explored. We will stick to strengthening contacts with international organisations and enhancing the international influence and discourse power of the OUC. Quality Chinese education resources will be integrated and utilised to build a high-level online learning platform and a base to cultivate international Chinese teachers. We will maintain our cooperation with the Online Confucius Institute of Michigan State University with the aim of exploring the establishment of demonstrative online Confucius institutes. Publicity will be intensified and the OUC English website will be improved.
X. Sustain the construction of the OUC community
17. Improve the basic system of the new type of university
Objectives: To improve the basic system of the OUC and to build and improve a governance system for the OUC.
Measures: To complete The OUC Constitution (Draft) for the approval of the Ministry of Education; to continue preparations to establish a university council; to convene the Third Plenary Meeting of the Committee of the University Affairs; to improve the academic governance framework, including the Academic Committee, Quality Assurance Committee, and Academic Degree Evaluation Committee; to explore a mechanism for pre-promulgation consultation, and coordinate the implementation and post-execution evaluation of important policy documents; to evaluate the implementation effects of major educational polices and the execution of agreements.
18. Plan for the OUC 2035
Objectives: To conduct coordinated research and planning in advance of the 2020-2035 medium and long term reform and development strategy of the OUC in accordance with the new requirements for its reform and development in the new era.
Measures: To conduct a holistic review of the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan for OUC Reform and Construction and to put all projects and plans into effect; to conduct a study of China’s economic, social, and technological development trends and how they fit in with the OUC’s development trends in the new era; to summarise the OUC’s experience of its pilot project on the “exploration of the construction model of open universities"; and to propose OUC 2035 to the Ministry of Education for approval.
19. Strengthen the capacity building of the branches
Objective: To put in place two-level coordination between the headquarters and branches, to improve the work competence and level of the branches, and to give good play to the major role of branches in system construction.
Measures: To promulgate Several Opinions of the Open University of China on Advancing Branch Construction, to strengthen the instruction and support given by the headquarters to the branches, to stimulate the work initiative of the branches; to put into effect two-level coordination between the headquarters and branches; to assess the branches’ implementation of joint construction agreements and their annual work by using both quantitative and qualitative approaches; to investigate the establishment of the system for branch presidents to make annual work reports; to authorise the branches to coordinate the planning and founding of local schools and study centres within their regions in line with the instruction of the headquarters; to study and propose the overall transformation and upgrading work plan for the 39 provincial RTVUs under the guidance of the Ministry of Education.
20. Advance the construction of industrial and enterprise schools
Objectives: To strengthen the headquarters’ management and support for industrial and enterprise schools so as to improve the operational ability of the industrial and enterprise universities.
Measures: To implement the relevant requirements of the Reform Implementation Plan for National Vocational Education, to strengthen the integration of industry and education and the cooperation between universities and enterprises, and to explore a new model for the lifelong education of on-the-job employees with the characteristics of the OUC; to conduct a thorough investigation of the operation of industrial universities and enterprise universities, to improve relevant system design, and to create a more efficient management system and operation mechanism; to revise and improve the OUC’s Interim Measure on the Setup and Management of Industrial Schools; to implement strict and standardised management, to define the education responsibilities of industrial schools, and to explore the system of appointing vice presidents from the headquarters; to help industrial and enterprise schools to improve their school-running ability; to initiate an exit system in accordance with the agreement of jointly running the school to the industrial schools with unclear education orientation, weak appeal in the industry, and poor operation ability.
21. Intensify the reform and development of the Experimental School
Objective: To rationalise the system and mechanism of the Experimental School, to strengthen its physical construction, and to strengthen the school-running ability of the Experimental School.
Measures: To give full play to the role of the Experimental School in terms of experimentation and demonstration, and to prioritise the implementation of major reform and innovation; to give the Experimental School more rights to handle their own affairs in the related educational fields of major setup, teaching reform, Six-Network Integration, team building, certificate education, credit bank, system construction, and in personnel and finance affairs so as to increase its school-running vitality; to spare no efforts to advance the four major reform pilot projects: “Realising Dreams of Further Education”, the “skill + accomplishment” learner development model, the connection between vocational education and open education, and the pilot integration of degree education and non-degree education; to better implement non-degree education and to explore a postgraduate education model with the relevant teaching departments.
22. Manage the celebration of the 40th anniversary of establishment of the OUC
Objectives: To manage the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the OUC with the coordinated efforts of the whole system and to promote the cultural construction of open universities.
Measures: To set up a leading body for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the OUC and to make a plan for the celebration; to establish a synergetic work mechanism for the celebration and to get provincial RTVUs and local open universities involved in the celebration; to publicise the celebration and to create a new public image of the OUC; to publish a series of books and to hold forums on the celebration; to advance the construction of projects including the OUC History Museum, the South Hall Exhibition and Experience Room, and the OUC Cultural Square; to make a complete summary of the OUC’s 40 years of experience, to enhance the cultural inheritance and innovation of the radio and TV university system, and to lay a foundation for the cultural construction of the OUC community.