On 22 October 2020, the Party branches of the Faculty of Education of the Open University of China (OUC) and the OUC Experimental School and the Party branch directly under the School of Continuing Education of Lijiang Teachers' College jointly held a launch ceremony for “pairing” teachers with students.

Over 80 people, including Peng Hongchang, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Lijiang Teachers' College, Lin Yu, vice president of the OUC, and other university leaders and middle-level cadres, as well as the teachers and students to be paired up, participated in the launch ceremony. Guo Qingchun, dean of the OUC Experimental School, and Zhang Xia, vice dean of the Faculty of Education, presided over the activity.

In a speech, Lin Yu pointed out that the pairing activity is an important way to combine Party building with the work of the OUC. It will give full play to the exemplary and leading role of Party members and is also an important channel to show that Party members have close ties with the people. Lin Yu stressed that, as part of poverty alleviation work, the OUC should not only deliver education and offer favourable conditions, but also make use of these conditions in recruiting students, and more importantly, enabling them to make achievements in their studies. The event aimed to provide better education support services to students, straighten out the different ways for students to graduate, and enable rural teachers to play an important role in rural revitalisation in terms of cultural communication, enlightening people's wisdom, and policy publicity.

Li Song, member of the Party Committee of the OUC and dean of the Faculty of Education, and Gao Peiren, dean of the School of Continuing Education of Lijiang Teachers' College, delivered messages to the teachers and students. Li Song said that teachers should aim high but work in a down-to-earth manner and be determined to become good teachers in a great country. They should behave properly, cultivate a good moral character, and be strict with themselves according to the standards of “teachers with four good properties.” Gao Peiren said that students should take advantage of the opportunity presented by the “pairing event,” study hard and engage in practices in an assiduous manner, and improve communication with the teachers they are paired up with to solve the challenges they face in work and study. As the old saying goes, “Hard work is the boat to the endless sea of learning, and diligence will lead to fruitful achievements.”

Xie Yun, a teacher from the OUC Experimental School, and Zheng Zhouqiong, a student of the OUC's Lijiang Sub-Branch, led the teachers and students to take oaths

Zhang Zhijun, director of the Poverty Alleviation Office of the OUC; Zhang Xia, vice dean of the Faculty of Education; He Jing, deputy director of the OUC Department of Public Information; Li Xinhui, vice dean of the OUC Experimental School; and He Xinmei, member of the Party Committee and organisation director of Lijiang Teachers' College read out the list of the 41 pairs of teachers and students in five groups.

Zhang Feng, a teacher representative from the OUC Faculty of Education, and Yue Jiangxiu, a teacher representative of the OUC Experimental School, interacted with student representatives Zheng Zhouqiong and Feng Yuran.

Zhang Feng, a teacher representative from the OUC Faculty of Education, and Feng Yuran, a student from the OUC's Lijiang Sub-Branch, spoke on behalf of the teachers and students. Zhang Feng said that the pairing activity will help to deepen the teachers’ understanding of the teaching process of open education, as well as of the learning needs and professional needs of learners. It will also improve their professional abilities and communication and coordination abilities. Feng Yuran said that she, on behalf of the students, would consult with the teachers with an open mind, study hard, and repay teachers’ care and attention with excellent results.

In his concluding speech, Peng Hongchang pointed out that poverty alleviation through education is the most effective means to prevent the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The OUC’s support for poverty alleviation in Lijiang will play an important role in integrating Lijiang into China's national strategy and accelerating the rural revitalisation strategy.

The launch ceremony is of great significance for the OUC and Lijiang Teachers’ College to further promote fixed contacts with western Yunnan border areas as part of the education targeted poverty alleviation work advocated by the Ministry of Education, and will help to smooth the way for the graduation of students participating in poverty alleviation projects. It will also help grass-roots Party organisations from both sides to integrate thematic education with the implementation of the fundamental task of moral education, thus realising the deep integration of Party building with education and teaching work, further improving the service level of Party members, and enhancing the creativity, cohesion, and competitiveness of grass-roots Party organisations.

By Yuan Wenwu,OUC