Having received approval from the Shandong Provincial Education Department to set up a Community Education Centre in Shandong and carry out pilot programmes for educating older adults in the province, the Shandong Branch of the Open University of China (OUC) has adopted measures to help the construction of continuing education there
, adapting to the economic and social development of the province and implementing the strategies related to continuing education put forward by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Its focus has been on people, and service of them, while also attending to the content and implementation of education and ensuring that urban and rural communities, industries and enterprises throughout Shandong are included.
The Centre has undertaken continuous improvement of the network of community-education organisations in major cities and counties, with all 16 of the major cities in the province having set up community-education centres or community universities, and over half of the 137 counties (districts) having established community-education colleges or similar institutions. Some cities and counties have achieved full network coverage extending from province to prefecture, counties (districts), towns (streets) and villages (neighborhoods). In addition, the Shandong Branch has established the Shandong Community Education Alliance and Shandong Alliance for the Co-construction and Sharing of Educational Resources for Older Adults, in an effort to bring together the various stakeholders involved in adult continuing education.
Remarkable results have been achieved in online education, with pilot programmes extending online platforms to both urban and rural areas. Over 3 million yuan have been invested in developing the “four-in-one” continuing-education network platformin the province, including Shandong Lifelong Learning Online, Shandong Online Teaching of Older Adults, a mobile app, and an official WeChat account. So far, the platform, with over 12,000 individual resources on hand, has attracted more than 610,000 registered students who have accessed the platform a record of over 7.75 million times, making it well known as a resource for teaching older adults in the province.
Impressive themed activities have been carried out. In recent years, the Shandong branch has organised or helped organise a series of educational activities for older adults, including “learning week” in 2018 and 2019, a public lecture on health education, and the Shandong Senior-citizen Photography Competition. These have helped promote socialist core values, traditional culture, the spiritual and cultural lives of residents, and their recognition of and participation in community education.
The pilot programme of education for older adults has seen steady progress. In 2016, the Shandong Provincial Department of Education gave the OUC’s Shandong branch the green light to engage in this. That same year, the branch selected 31 Radio and TV Universities (RTVUs) from the provincial open-education system throughout the province, including Jinan RTVU, as pilot units. Over the past three years, the university has invested 6 million yuan in the construction of an “education-experience centre” for older adults, offering more than 20 in-person classes in seven areas, including photography, vocal music, calligraphy, painting, English, computer use and smart phones, to up to 1,000 students. On May 9, 2019, the OUC University for Older Adults in Shandong was officially launched, and a cooperation agreement was signed with the Shandong University for Older Adults. The OUC University for Older Adults in Shandong makes strong use of the information technology already in use for open education and develops online and offline education simultaneously, while also exploring local offerings, with an emphasis on convenience and quality.
Importance has been attached to developing a unique university in an in-depth manner. The university has used a variety of ways to promote the balanced, high-quality and unique development of community education in Shandong. First, it has emphasised the selection of top brands related to community education. Second, it has established 12 community-education demonstration centres and 18 experimental bases in order to help bring continuing education to local residents. Third, a meeting of key community-education personnel is held every year, with experts from all over the country invited to give special lectures, and educators from across the province brought together for exchanges aimed at enhancing their skills and broadening their horizons. Fourth, it gives awards for outstanding service to deserving schools, branches and workers every year. Fifth, it publicises the national policies and regional practices involved in the "four-in-one" network. Finally, it has promoted system construction through rules and regulations, providing institutional guarantees of the scientific and standardised development of community education.
By Shandong Branch