With the aim of further exploring the model and working mechanism of community education, and vigorously advancing the construction of experiment centres (bases) for community education, the 2015 National Community Education Seminar of the Ministry of Education (MOE) Research and Training Centre for Community Education (hereafter shortened to “the Centre”) convened in Changchun, Jilin Province from June 10–11.
Ms. Cai Yan, Director of the Adult Education Training Centre of the MOE Department of Vocational and Adult Education; Mr. Zhang Shaogang, Vice President of the Open University of China (OUC),Deputy President of the China Adult Education Association, and Director of the Centre; Mr. Shang Heling, Research Member of the Vocational and Adult Education Division of the Department of Education in Jilin Province; Mr. Zhang Maojin, Deputy Secretary of Changchun Education Bureau; Mr. Sun Mingxue, Director of the Vocational and Adult Education Division of Changchun Education Bureau; and Mr. Huang Jianru, Vice President of Changchun Radio and Television University (RTVU) attended the conference. More than 300 participants from community education experiment and demonstration districts, the education administration sector, and the national open university system, and who are engaged in community education work across China, attended the seminar.
Speaking on behalf of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education, Cai Yan elaborated three points including the new changes in community education brought about by digital learning, the new initiatives of the Adult Education Training Centre to promote community education, and the expectations for the work of the Centre.
She said that the Internet, cloud computing, big data, and other modern information technologies were the driving forces behind educational reform and innovation, and that the need to build digitized, personalized, online lifelong education system was an important topic. She also cited Vice Minister of Education Ms. Lu Xin’s speech given at the 2015 Annual Working Conference on Vocational and Adult Education to emphasize the use of the Internet in community education. Furthermore, in the process of carrying out community education experiments, she said more attention should be paid to the application of digital learning and to building a public digital learner support system, while carrying out the construction and promotion of quality digital learning resources. More and more local communities have established "Digital Learning Harbors" or other service systems of lifelong learner support for all, based on the RTVU system. The exploration of the Centre’s i-experiment community education model has revealed new ideas for the development of digital community education.
She pointed out that the work concepts for the Adult Education Training Centre in 2015 were “one centre, two basic points, and continuing education for two groups of people”. “One centre” is based on the construction of a learning society. “Two basic points” refers to advancing the construction of learning-oriented cities and carrying out community education in both urban and rural areas. “Two groups of people” refers to both the aged and enterprise employees. She gave detail across five different aspects: First, the implementation of the construction of learning cities; Second, the deepening of community education; Third, the exploration of an education plan for the aged; Fourth, to carry forward continuing education in vocational colleges and institutions for industry and enterprise employees; and fifth, to launch the 2015 Universal Lifelong Learning Week event.
Cai Yan said that, with the instruction of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education, the Centre has comprehensively carried out its work, contributing to the reform and development of community education in China and advancing the construction of a learning society. With the guidance of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education, the Centre launched a community education satisfaction survey. In just two years, with the support of local RTVUs, education administration sectors, and experimental and model districts, it has collected a total of more than one million questionnaires. This is the first major satisfaction survey to be held after the launch of community education. Finally, she hoped that the Centre will further strengthen scientific research, improve its level of service, and reinforce its own construction.
Sun Mingxue represented the Changchun Education Bureau, making a special presentation entitled “Innovative Model and Bold Practice: An Exploration of New Paths for Community Education.” He said that Changchun actively carried out its work while focusing on the guiding ideology "Building and perfecting the lifelong educational system, forming a life-long learning public resources platform, and carrying out the construction of a learning-oriented society in a practical manner through community education, so as to promote the innovation of social governance". Relying on Changchun RTVU, the Changchun Municipal Government built a Digital Learning Harbor in Changchun, set up "Learning Supermarkets", and established Digital Learning Centres in neighborhood communities to provide universal, low-cost learning and training resources for citizens. It opened public learning auditoriums in Changchun and launched activities such as i-reading and lifelong learning week, was incorporated into the Action Plan for People’s Livelihood in Changchun. He pointed out that a community digital learner support model guided by the municipal government, initiated by the Education Bureau, coordinated by the Department of Civil Affairs, participated in by various sectors, and implemented by the communities themselves, has been created in Changchun, with Changchun Digital Learning Harbor as the platform to provide the necessary resources and technology. Changchun RTVU also assumed the task of building an i-reading laboratory for The Centre. The Changchun Municipal Government will rely on Changchun RTVU to set up an Open University in Changchun and establish a four-level community education network at the municipal, district, sub-district, and community level, so as to improve the functions of Changchun Digital Learning Harbor and meet diverse learning needs. Digital learning service stations will gradually cover all communities in the city.
Mr. Zhang Shaogang talked about his ideas for the development of community education from three aspects: The relationship between community education, lifelong learning for all, and the learning society; the i-experiment model for community education based on the Internet; and the promotion of lifelong learning for all. He said that The Centre held national community education seminars on an annual basis. The representatives that take part in this conference can be divided into three categories: Personnel from local governments and administrative departments of education; Teams with representatives from community colleges or subordinate districts and counties led by Community Education Service Guidance Centres; and the Presidents of local RTVUs and community education institutions and enterprises. From the participants we can see that the concerned parties involved in community education are extremely diverse and that the RTVU system has become the backbone for the development of community education throughout China. From a top down design point of view, the Government is increasing emphasis on community education, which is non-formal and different from academic education. The development of community education has become a consensus among people from all walks of life. He noted that the "Internet +" concept has created a number of new educational service industries and that smart city construction has progressed from concept to reality. As a type of education centred on life and learning, community education should keep pace with the times and use the Internet to seek further development. In recent years, the innovative "i-experiment" model for community education launched by The the Centre has done exactly that: With the support of an interconnected and interactive teaching and learning environment created by linking a vast number of online education laboratories, it combined hand work with brain work, connected online with offline, and integrated autonomy with collaboration, while pooling resources from the government, community, experts, and enterprises to offer services for the life and learning of the residents. After three years of exploration and practice, the number of i-laboratories has expanded to nearly 20. He emphasized that the development of community education is inseparable from the protection of its policies, rules and regulations. However, the legislation of lifelong learning in China is still lagging. At present, only Fujian, Hebei, Shanghai, Taiyuan, and Ningbo have released regulations for the promotion of lifelong learning. With the advancement of rule by law, and an increasing understanding of the importance of community education and lifelong learning, the process of legislation for community education and lifelong learning within local governments will accelerate.
Mr. Zhou Yanjun, Executive Deputy Director of the Centre, gave the 2014 work report for the Centre and reported the main work concepts for 2015. He said that in 2014 the functions of "the Centre" mainly focused on the completion and acceptance of Research on the Lifelong Learning Public Service Platform Model and the Model Application Projects; research into the organization of the national community education satisfaction survey; advancing the exploration of the i-experiment education model; carrying out i-laboratory contests; driving the construction of community education experiment centres (bases) and learning experience bases; editing and publishing the China Community Education Development Report (2013-2014) and the Collection of Excellent Papers on Community Education; research on the community education smart library; the construction of a China community education learning network and community education resources; and the production of a community education achievements exhibition centred around lifelong learning week, and the work in other areas. In 2015, the Centre will concentrate on work relating to policy (full and part-time research, project management, learning experience bases and test centres); the organizations (Community Education Instruction Committee and a flat network); team building (to combine part-time with full time employment, relying on an open and dynamic part-time model); and mechanisms (resources sharing, collaboration; and a multilevel interconnected network and support service system). It will also focus on the Perfect China community learning network (shequ.edu.CN); strengthen resource construction and form a curriculum system; continue to undertake research on an education and teaching model for community education. It will hold its first micro-video contest with the theme of "Traditional Culture Enters into Communities", as well as the "i-reading" activity, the first universal reading activity in China. Other competitions it will hold include, the first nationwide community art education exchange assembly; the third session of the Beautiful China Painting Contest; the third session of the national level tea cup design contest for entrepreneurship projects for impoverished villages; the first national level "Kitchen God Community Gourmet Cooking Contest’; the second session of the "Adding Color to Life" national level community apparel contest; and the second session of the “My Vegetables” photography competition with the theme of “I Love the Garden”.
Mr. Xu Ruisen from the Centre reported on the National Community Education Satisfaction Survey, which was entrusted to the OUC by the MOE Department of Vocational and Adult Education and launched by the Centre. The survey was mainly carried out among residents in national community education experiment districts and model districts as well as community educational workers, relying on local RTVUs. Covering 22 provinces, 49 experimental districts, 61 model districts, and 80 districts which have a community education basis, it has collected 1.016 million questionnaires from residents, of which 753,000 copies can be used. 41,000 copies came from community education workers, of which 28,000 copies can be used. The survey was integrated into the comprehensive practice teaching reform of the OUC’s social work and public affairs management majors. The survey report showed that the 30 years of development of community education in China has achieved clear results with Chinese characteristics, and that the RTVU has become nucleus of its development. The National Community Education Satisfaction Survey Report will be published in the near future.
During the conference, Mr. Xie Laiyi from the OUC Open University for Older Adults introduced the delegates to the concepts of and work plans for the construction of education for the aged. He said that the Department of Social Education and Vocational Training would plan as a whole and carry out top down design for non-degree education including community education, education for the aged, and art education.
Professor Wu Zunmin, Director of Lifelong Learning Research Centre and PhD Supervisor of East China Normal University Department of Education was also invited to give a special lecture at conference, entitled The Transformation of RTVUs and the Potential for Community Education. He pointed out that community education has become an important strategic decision and policy point for the construction of a lifelong education system in China, as well as promoting education reform and development. RTVUs are facing the issue that adults have a weakening demand for regular academic education in RTVUs. The training aims and operational model of traditional adult education are no longer suitable for modern social development. In the course of developing community education, RTVUs have the advantage of a nationwide three-dimensional education network covering urban and rural areas, as well as a large faculty. This is an opportunity for RTVU to stimulate their growth momentum. He also gave a detailed analysis of the state of the transformation from RTVUs to Community Colleges, the difficulties facing RTVUs, and then gave advice and strategies for participants to develop ideas.
During the meeting, the participants visited Taoyuan community in Nanguan District, Chang Shan Garden community in Kuancheng District, and East Station Tenth community in Erdao District, all in Changchun. They exchanged views on how better to carry out community education work and create new community education models. Mr. Zhang Shaogang authorized five newly constructed laboratories – i- reading, i-papercutting, i-gourmet, i-Chinese classics and i-Lanterns – and six newly approved OUC experiment bases. At the conference, advanced units in the community education satisfaction survey and units that were outstanding in the organization of i-experiment contests for community education in 2014 were honored, and they shared views on the construction and sharing of resources.
The conference is an important part of the implementation of the instructions of "perfecting the lifelong educational system and constructing a learning society” put forward by the 18th CPC National Congress, and making education services and the construction of a harmonious society by the OUC and MOE Community Education Research and Training Centre a reality. The Centre will continue to carry out research on community education, enhance coordination and top down design, reinforce the teaching model and system construction, and play a leading role in promoting educational development in urban and rural communities.
By Li Huiqin, OUC