On 5 November 2020, Li Qing, director and Party Secretary of the Bureau for Retired Personnel of the General Office of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), led a delegation to the Open University of China (OUC) on an investigation tour.
The delegation visited the OUC “Internet Plus University” the exhibition centre, the live studio, and the HD studio, and held a discussion with Liu Chen, deputy secretary of the OUC and president of the University for Older Adults, as well as other responsible personnel from relevant departments. The two sides exchanged views on the overall situation of the OUC, the development of education for older adults, and how to serve retired personnel with the help of the University for Older Adults’ online learning platform.
Liu Chen said that the OUC is a new type of university without walls supported by modern information technology. With a broad network covering both urban and rural areas across the country, the OUC offers both degree and non-degree education, which are both of equal importance to the university, to all members of society. The OUC has set up a University for Older Adults and implemented the strategy of "Strengthening the University for Older Adults.” A positive development trend has taken shape in the construction of an organisation system for education for older adults, the establishment of an information management and service platform, the gathering of digital learning resources, the active development of learning services for older adults, and the promotion of training for older employees. The resource sharing platform of the central government organs jointly built by the OUC and the National Government Offices Administration is operating stably and effectively, and has been recognised and praised by many students.
Li Qing said that, through the investigation visit, they gained a deep understanding of the school running system, characteristics, and policies of the OUC, as well as a direct understanding of the strengths of the university. The Bureau for Retired Personnel of the General Office of the Standing Committee of the NPC serves retired cadres with high comprehensive quality, diversified interests and hobbies, and a good educational foundation. He hopes that the two sides will cooperate closely, make full use of the advantages of the OUC, and meet the diverse learning needs of retired cadres with the help of resource sharing platform and rich curriculum resources of the University for Older Adults. They will work together to give full play to the advantages of experts and scholars in the legislative field of the NPC to enrich the existing curriculum resources.
The two sides both said that they would accelerate the completion of work related to the clarification of a cooperation framework and the coordination of resources of all parties to ensure the smooth and orderly development of bilateral cooperation. The University for Older Adults will adopt the Internet Plus Education for Older Adults development model and build an online teaching and management platform. It will bring together and expand high-quality education resources and services for older adults. It will create an online service system for education for older adults, establish a brand of online education for older adults, and provide better learning support services for older learners.
By Zhang Jingzhuo, OUC