To deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on education and the spirit of his guidance on ageing work, and to enforce the "Construction Action Plan for the Seniors University of China (2023-2025)", efforts are being made to strengthen competence for faculty of the Seniors University of China (SUC) system and to advance the high-quality development of the SUC.
Recently, the online training programme for elderly education professionals at the SUC for the year 2024 has officially commenced. This training programme spans four weeks and has been registered by over 7,000 professionals engaged in senior education.
Fan Xianrui, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the Open University of China (OUC, also known as SUC), delivered the opening speech.
Fan Xianrui delivering the opening speech
In her opening speech, Fan Xianrui introduced that this training programme will invite renowned experts and scholars in the field of elderly education, as well as outstanding administrators from universities for the elderly, to conduct teaching through live lectures. The training content includes the national conditions of population ageing, national ageing policies and situation, the current psychological status of the older adult population in China, and the strategies to address the changes in elderly psychology. It also covers the role of the elderly education in aiding the older adult population to integrate into the digital society, and the development of the SUC and practical applications of related projects. In the future, the SUC will also carry out offline special training to continuously improve the faculty's and management personnel's ability to serve the high-quality development of the SUC. Fan Xianrui expressed her hope that participants would treasure the training opportunity, study diligently, think actively, broaden their horizons, and apply what they have learned, to achieve new breakthroughs, assume new responsibilities, and together excel in addressing the needs of elderly education in the new era.
Du Peng delivering the opening lecture
Du Peng, former vice president of Renmin University of China, dean of the School of Population, Health and Ageing, director of the Institute of Ageing Studies, professor, and doctoral supervisor, delivered the first lecture of the training programme with the topic " Strategic Response to Population Ageing: National Strategy and the Practice of a Positive View of Ageing ". Du Peng elaborated from five aspects on the national strategy for actively responding to population ageing, the silver economy and elderly financial services, the theory and practice of elderly care in Chinese style, rural revitalisation in the super-aged society, and social governance of ageing in the digital age, presenting a profound and simple explanation of the policy regulations and practical progress. He highlighted that fostering a positive outlook on ageing requires actively embracing the ageing society, older adults, and the experience of older life. Senior education plays a crucial role in shaping a more conducive environment for both healthy ageing and proactive ageing.
By Teaching and Academic Affairs Centre, SUC