From 25 to 28 May 2021, Hu Lifeng, associate professor of the Faculty of Forestry and Medicine of the Open University of China (OUC), and Dr Wang Di, were invited to Xilingol League Radio and TV University (RTVU) to deliver lectures to rural college students and conduct  special research.

The purpose of the activity was to actively implement the requirement of the OUC to transform its focus from prioritising online development to pursuing integrated development via both online and offline means and explore a new model for teaching team construction at the university. It also aimed to provide teaching support for open universities at grassroots levels, further understand the teaching work of Inner Mongolia Radio and TV University’s (Inner Mongolia RTVU) programme of One College Student Per Gacha (village in Mongolian) or Community, and provide better ideas for training professionals to serve rural revitalisation. Li Yidan, vice president of the school directly affiliated to Inner Mongolia RTVU, Wu Rina, vice president of Xilingol League RTVU, and Jiao Lihong, director of the teaching department, attended the activity.

Hu Lifeng gave a lecture on the background, theoretical research, and practical explorations of the rural revitalisation strategy in Zhenglan Banner. Secretaries of the Party Branches and Youth League Branches in villages and communities in Zhenglan Banner, first secretaries quartered in Gachas, and more than 270 students from the 2020 autumn and 2021 spring classes of the One College Student Per Gacha or Community programme watched the live broadcast online.

At the symposium, the research group explained the background and purpose of the special research. Li Yidan introduced the cooperation between the university and the Organisation Department of the Provincial Party Committee in the One College Student Per Gacha or Community programme. Relevant leaders from Xilingol League RTVU introduced the university’s educational operations and the progress of the programme. Teachers engaging in the programme gave reports on the difficulties they face in terms of enrolment, teaching management, major development, and degree application for RTVUs at grass-roots levels, and put forward suggestions according to the actual teaching situation. The research group said that the problems and suggestions put forward by the teachers are worthy of research and of great value as a reference for the development of the programme. The research group encouraged Inner Mongolia RTVU and Xilingol League RTVU to give full play to their own advantages and open more majors suitable for the development of the local agricultural industry. They also encouraged them to improve teaching management and enhance their awareness of teaching services, so as to meet the learning needs of local farmers and herdsmen and steadily promote the sustainable development of the programme.

By Wang Di, OUC