In order to implement the requirements of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the fourth and fifth plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee, on building a system of continuing education that enhances the ideological, moral, scientific, cultural, physical and mental-health capacities of the people, the 2020 “Lifelong Learning for All” week, focused on the benefits of "Smart Learning” and sponsored by the MOE Department of Vocational and Adult Education, was launched both online and offline on 1 November 2020.
Its aim was to both promote lifelong learning for all and to carry out related activities. The Open University of China (OUC), as a strong supporter of continuing education, was a prominent organiser of activities.
Changchun Branch
On the morning of 11 November, the opening ceremony of the 2020 Jilin Province and Changchun City “Lifelong Learning for All” week was held at the Changchun Branch, aiming to promote the ideas of general secretary Xi Jinping and the design of a national system of continuing education. Leaders from the Education Department of Jilin Province, the Publicity Department of the Changchun Municipal Committee of the CPC, nine cities in Jilin province, the Changbai Mountain Management Committee, the Meihekou Education Bureau, and others, attended the ceremony.
This event, the 10th of its kind since 2011, has become an important source of impetus for the construction of continuing education in the province, with a positive impact on all sectors of society. The cities of Changchun, Jilin, Baishan, Gongzhuling, Siping and Tonghua, as well as Yanbian Prefecture, were selected to join the National Learning City Construction Alliance. The project “Common People Learning Stars” in Jilin Province has been named as one of the top ten projects in the country for seven consecutive years, and its “Learning Brand” project ranked in the top ten for five consecutive years, with 36 “Common People Learning Stars”, 39 “Lifelong Learning Activity Brands”, and 19 “Excellent Adult Continuing Education Institutes” designated.
Zhang Jie, vice president of the Changchun Branch, said that, in recent years, Jilin Province has increased its efforts to promote continuing education, and that Changchun City has played an active role. A community-education system has been established, linking Changchun Community University with the OUC’s Changchun Branch, and some community colleges and schools with vocational colleges. Jilin Province and Changchun City organised the “Lifelong Learning for All (Smart Learning)” week from 11 to 18 November, with over 200 activities in provincial cities and prefectures as well as urban areas of counties affiliated with Changchun City, Changchun Community University, the Community Education College, the Community Education School, and the Changchun Community Digital Learning Centre.
On the day of the ceremony, an exhibition was held to display the achievements of the “Lifelong Learning for All” week in Jilin Province and Changchun City in 2020.
Qingdao Branch
On 6 November, the Qingdao “Lifelong Learning for All” and “Vocational Education” weeks were launched.
The events, jointly sponsored by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Education and OUC Qingdao Branch, had the themes "Smart Learning for All” and “Integration of Vocational and Continuing Education", with activities designed to show how community and vocational education have developed in Qingdao. Li Min, chief inspector of the Qingdao Education Bureau, and Zhang Xike, president of the OUC’s Qingdao Branch, attended, along with staff from the education and sports bureaus of all districts and cities, Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis Film and TV Industrial Park Management, and Qingdao Bright Moon Seaweed Group, principals of vocational colleges, and educational staff and representatives of all levels.
This year, the Qingdao education system has focused on innovation and development in vocational education, pioneering its standards and modernisation, and bringing industry and teaching into close cooperation. It has taken the lead in carrying out pilot joint-education programmes in senior high schools, promoting vocational training as an alternative to degree education, while also promoting the all-round development of continuing education, with emphasis on community education and education of older adults.
The "Lifelong Learning for All" and "Vocational Education Activity" weeks promote the value of labour and skills separate from formal qualifications, assigning to vocational training and continuing education the importance they deserve, and publicising the reforms and development that have occurred in these areas.
During the ceremony, “Common People Learning Stars” and “Lifelong Education and Learning Brand” awards at the national, provincial and city levels were presented, along with awards in the “Fashionable Qingdao & Reading Life” essay competition and “Fashionable Qingdao” micro-video online-instruction competition. The Qingdao Elder-education Alliance was launched, and participants visited the Bright Moon Seaweed Science and Technology Museum in the new area of west Qingdao, taking in exhibits related to the intangible cultural heritage of the city as well as its achievements in vocational and continuing education.
Sichuan Branch
On 11 November, the opening ceremony of the 2020 Sichuan Province and Chengdu City “Lifelong Learning for All” week was held at Chengdu Community University.
Dai Zuo'an, a member of the Education Working Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee of the CPC, deputy director of the provincial Department of Education, and vice president of the China Adult Education Association, announced the opening of the event, and stated requirements for the development of continuing education in the province. He expressed the hope that educators would help work out the "14th Five- Year Plan" to provide high-quality education throughout the province and promote harmonious social development.
The event was an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the online “intelligent learning” that has made teaching possible during the current pandemic.
The meeting also announced the results of the selection of national, provincial and Chengdu-city “Common People Learning Stars” and “Lifelong Learning Brand Projects” for 2020, and publicised the accomplishments of the winners.
Walking Academy, an educational TV programme jointly created by the Sichuan Branch, Sichuan Education TV Station, and the Chengdu Branch, was named a "National Lifelong Learning Brand Project" of 2020.
"Lifelong Learning for All" week took place from November 11 to 17 throughout Sichuan Province, taking precautions related to Covid-19 and promoting the theme of continuing-education "Smart Learning for All” through a variety of forms and content.
More than 80 participants from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, the Sichuan Community Education Guidance Centre, the Sichuan Institute of Education Sciences, the OUC’s Sichuan Branch, Sichuan Education Television, the Sichuan Vocational and Adult Education Association, the Sichuan Association of Universities for Older Adults, the Chengdu Education Bureau, the OUC’s Chengdu Branch, the Chengdu Adult Education Association, the Chengdu Association of Universities for Older Adults, and other institutions, as well as the award-winners already mentioned, representative community educators and teachers of older adults in Chengdu, and school representatives were present for the activities.
Over 800 people, including education administrators from throughout Sichuan and Chengdu, as well as the award winners, watched a live broadcast of the event at various branches.
Xinjiang Branch
On 10 November, the OUC’s Xinjiang Branch launched the Xinjiang “Lifelong Learning for All” week. In 2020, Xinjiang has recognised four national “Common People Learning Stars” and gained five “Lifelong Learning Brand Project” awards. Meanwhile, the Education Department of the Xinjiang autonomous region has been named an "Excellent Organiser of Lifelong learning for All" week for three consecutive years.
This year’s event publicised the concept of lifelong education that can involve learning anywhere and anytime. Since the launch of the event in Xinjiang in 2005, four national community-education demonstration and pilot areas have been established.
Sun Hongxin, a supervisor with the People's Government of the autonomous region, said that the requirements in terms of developing continuing education set out in the report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC have been vigorously implemented by the Party Committee, the regional government, and other stakeholders, with the result that lifelong education has seen strong development in terms of activities and social acceptance in the region.
Huang Chaohua, secretary of the Party Committee of the OUC’s Xinjiang Branch, said that the university plans to find new ways to develop continuing education in Xinjiang in five years, with emphasis on community education and education of older adults, and developing it into a major flexible online platform on the "Internet plus" model as well.
He Miao, a “Common People Learning Star” and teacher at the Xinjiang Vocational Secondary School for Special Education, found her niche in special education despite not graduating from teacher’s college. She has often served as simultaneous sign-language interpreter at conferences in the region, as well as the Disabled Persons' Federation of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and even as a TV news interpreter in 2018.
On the same day, the Xinjiang Lifelong Learning Network (www.xjlll.net) was officially launched as well, to provide continuing education to both cadres and the general public of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. After the opening ceremony, the branch invited experts from various industries to give online lectures on the development of community education, the mental health of the elderly, and Covid-19 precautions.
By OUC News Network