On 7 September 2021, the first anniversary of a resource sharing platform for universities for older adults affiliated to China’s state organs, Wang Zhaoxu, director of the Financial Management Department of the National Government Offices Administration, together with four colleagues, toured the Open University of China (OUC) to investigate the development of online education at its University for Older Adults.
The team also inspected facilities and equipment at the Weigongcun Smart Campus, including its HD studio. Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, and Liu Chen, deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee, attended discussions, where the two sides praised the effectiveness of their cooperation over the past year, and discussed future plans.
At the meeting, staff of the OUC University for Older Adults introduced enhancements that had been made to the platform over the course of the year, while staff of the Social Security Department of the Financial Management Department of the National Government Offices Administration described its status and prospects. The two sides then exchanged views on work related to the platform.
Jing Degang thanked the Financial Management Department of National Government Offices Administration for its support since the platform was launched. He noted that the OUC is focusing on construction of "Four Platforms", promoting "Four Transformations", and implementing "Three Strategies" in accordance with its Comprehensive Reform Plan, as adopted by the Party Group of the Ministry of Education. Education for the elderly, along with elder care and other services, is crucial to the development of lifelong education. The OUC is working hard on improvements to the University for Older Adults as part of constructing an education system serving universal access to lifelong learning, and the construction of a powerful country in terms of learning and skills. The platform brings together high-quality educational resources and allows the University for Older Adults to explore integrated online and offline teaching, with good results so far. The two sides intend to pursue even deeper cooperation, sharing high-quality courses and digital resources and constantly optimising the platform in order to continue enhancing online education of older adults.
Wang Zhaoxu praised the platform’s achievements and thanked the OUC for its great work in establishing and operating it, especially given the urgency of providing education during Covid-19, maintaining the cultural life of seniors, and allowing high-quality courses to be shared among departments. The OUC is rich in software, hardware, and educational resources, and he expects the two sides to continue promoting integration of online + offline development of education for the elderly and the optimisation of the platform through cooperation that takes advantage of the OUC’s capabilities in online education and the bridging role of the Financial Management Department of the National Government Offices Administration and other government departments.
Following the speeches, the two sides signed an agreement to cooperate during the autumn semester on the resource sharing platform for universities for older adults affiliated to state organs.
By Liu Feng; photos by Zhuge Huanyu, OUC