To vigorously promote the spirit of model workers, the value of work, and the pursuit of fine workmanship, and to inspire cadres and workers to fully play a leading role in transforming China into a great modern socialist country in every respect and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a uniquely Chinese path to modernization, the Federation of Trade Unions of the Central and State Organs recently issued a notice on the Decision to Commend the May 1st Labour Awards for Central and State Organs.
The Open University of China (OUC, also known as the Seniors University of China, SUC) was honoured with the May 1st Labour Award Certificate for Central and State Organs.
Over its 45 years of operation, the OUC (SUC) has consistently maintained a clear political stance, resolutely implementing the directives of the Party Central Committee and adhering to the operational guidelines set by the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Education (MOE). The university has fostered a campus culture that values courage, responsibility, and diligence. To date, it has enrolled a total of 25.72 million students in degree programmes, producing 19.61 million graduates, and has provided social training for approximately 1.18 billion individuals.
The university has steadfastly upheld its foundational mission by prioritizing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. It has advanced the development of "grand ideological and political theory courses" through an integrated teaching strategy that encompasses "guidance, learning, assessment, inquiry, and expansion." This approach has resulted in the creation of 400 "blockbuster-style" ideological and political theory courses. Fifteen of these courses have been recognised as national exemplary courses in ideological and political education, spearheading the establishment of 590 ideological and political education bases across the country. This initiative has significantly improved the educational impact on nearly 5 million students. For three consecutive years, the university has organised the “High-level Forum on Contemporary Chinese Marxism Research” and established the OUC Research Institute of Contemporary Chinese Marxism. In 2021 and 2023, the OUC hosted teaching skills competitions, where university teachers showcased and enhanced their teaching abilities by competing together. Additionally, for three years in a row, the university has conducted competitions for ideological and political education case studies in specialised courses such as mathematics, economics and management, education, agriculture, and medicine. These competitions encourage teachers throughout the educational system to incorporate the cultivation of virtue into all facets of ideological, moral, cultural, and social practice education.
The university has diligently implemented the national rural revitalisation strategy with a strong sense of political responsibility. For twenty consecutive years, it has run the Ministry of Education's "One College Student Per Village" programme, investing a total of approximately 100 million yuan and cultivating more than 740,000 local professionals for rural revitalisation. In April 2021, the programme received the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education, the highest award for information technology in education within the UN system. For seven consecutive years, the university has undertaken the "Long March Belt" Education Project aimed at alleviating poverty, investing over 60 million yuan and directly benefiting more than 50,000 people. Additionally, for four consecutive years, it has carried out the "Spring Rain Rural Teacher Education and Ability Enhancement Assistance Action," investing about 5.51 million yuan and directly impacting around 2,000 beneficiaries.
The university has diligently implemented the national strategy for addressing population ageing, showing a deep commitment to serving the community. In March 2023, the Senior University of China (SUC) was established, building on the framework of the Open University of China (OUC). To date, it has set up 40 branches and nearly 3,000 study centres, along with 55,000 learning points dedicated to elderly education across the country, serving 22.14 million elderly students. The National Education Platform for the Elderly now offers 436,000 courses, totaling approximately 4.089 million minutes of course material, has attracted about 2.35 million registered users, and provided over 57.08 million learning support services. Focusing on courses related to proactive health, the platform features nearly 380,000 minutes of such resources and has established a national database of elderly educators with 180,000 registered teachers. The "Health and Happiness Lectures for the Double Ninth Festival" drew over 4.5 million viewers through live broadcasts. The SUC Exhibition on Teaching Achievements and the Special Spring Festival Show for 2024 were simultaneously broadcast across multiple platforms, attracting more than 56 million online viewers. For three consecutive years, the national exhibition of elderly education and teaching achievements has received 5,249 submissions from approximately 1,400 organizations nationwide, amassing a total of 37.75 million votes. Several national media outlets have featured special reports on the universities for seniors.
The university has fully implemented the national strategy for digitalisation of education with an innovative approach. It has enhanced the integrated Smart OUC platform, now offering 177 major fields of study and 17,000 online courses to nearly 5 million degree-seeking learners. The lifelong education platform has been updated, featuring over 1 million audio-video courses and electronic reading materials, serving a total of 54 million lifelong learners. A credit bank that links degree and non-degree education has been established, creating over 19.3 million lifelong learning records for community members and storing 3.8 million personal achievements. This credit bank initiative has been recognised as a case study by UNESCO. The National Digital University Construction Project has been launched to further digitalise learning resources, teaching processes, examination assessments, and management services. Personalised learning support services such as precise profiling, knowledge graphs, and adaptive assessments are being developed for students. Additionally, a data warehouse is being constructed to enable precise management.
The university has diligently pursued its strategy of educational opening up with a strong sense of responsibility. It hosted the inaugural World Open University Presidents Forum and proposed the creation of the "Belt and Road" Open Education Development Alliance. Additionally, it launched the ASEAN-China Digital Education Alliance and established the ASEAN-China Digital Education Cooperation Centre. Seventeen overseas learning centers have been set up. The university also hosted the parallel session "Education Digitalisation and Learning Society Construction" at the World Digital Education Conference, actively broadening the influence and presence of China's education on the global stage.
In recent years, five Party branches of the university have been recognised as "exemplary" Party branches within China’s state organs, while seven Party branches have been awarded the titles of exemplary and distinctive Party branches in the affiliated institutions of the MOE. Additionally, university Party members and cadres have been honoured with titles such as National Women's Role Model and Excellent First Party Secretary Stationed in the Village for Rural Revitalisation in Hebei Province. The university's Labor Union has been recognised as a “Model Workers’ Home” by the Ministry of Education.
In the future, the OUC will seize this opportunity to redouble its efforts, fully leveraging its role as both a demonstrative and leading force. It will strive for new successes and create even more remarkable achievements on the journey ahead, continuing to contribute the OUC's strength to the high-quality development of open education.
Note: The data mentioned in the article is accurate as of the time of the award application.
By OUC Labour Union