In order to help teachers in the six autonomous prefectures in Qinghai Province enhance their educational qualifications, teaching abilities, and quality so that they can successfully run basic education, the Open University of China (OUC) and the OUC Qinghai Branch jointly launched and implemented the “Spring Rain Activity for Enhancing Rural Teachers’ Educational Qualifications and Teaching Abilities” (“Spring Rain Activity” in short).

This programme is an important measure taken by the OUC to implement the CPC and the State Council’s opinions on poverty-alleviation in seriously poverty-stricken areas and is part of the overall implementation of the MOE’s call to carry forward poverty alleviation in these areas through educational means, demonstrating the OUC’s concern, care, and support for educational development in ethnic areas in Qinghai Province.

The Qinghai Education Department has attached great importance to the launch of this programme and issued an implementation plan for the “Spring Rain Activity,” requiring the education bureau in each municipality (prefecture) to conscientiously engage in organisational and implementational so that it will benefit rural teachers in Qinghai. The “Spring Rain Activity” will fund full tuition for 500 rural teachers in Qinghai Province, supporting on-the-job K-12 teachers and educators studying for majors including Pre-school Education, Primary Education, and Chinese Language and Literature at junior or undergraduate level within two and a half years starting from spring or autumn semester in 2020. It also allows that educational administrations in different places may choose a full quota, half quota or set quota to expand the numbers of teachers that will benefit from the programme as long as the total fund is unchanged.

The programme will be coordinated by the local educational administrations and implemented by the radio and TV universities located in each prefecture and county under the guidance of the OUC Qinghai Branch. The specific units that will implement the programme are six RTVUs at the prefecture level including Yushu, Haixi, Golog, Haibei, Huangnan, and Hainan, and five RTVUs and tutorial centres at the city or county level including Golmud, Ulan, Dulan, Guide, and Menyuan. Teaching will be implemented by the local RTVUs or tutorial centres and students will complete the programme in their spare time by studying via the OUC Learning Network and receiving a set number of hours of face-to-face tutorials at local RTVUs or tutorial centres. Students enrolled in undergraduate majors may be conferred a bachelor’s degree by the OUC if certain relevant degree conditions are met.

By OUC Qinghai Branch