To study and implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the key points of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech during his visit to Qinghai, and to follow the directives of the Ministry of Education's 2024 aid plan for Qinghai as well as the "14th Five-Year Plan" Framework Agreement on Educational Support and Assistance between the Open University of China (OUC) and Qinghai Open University (OU), the "1+7" paired assistance work conference for Qinghai OU was held at the Qinghai Conference Centre on 16 July 2024.

Yang Zhiwen, vice governor of Qinghai Province and deputy head of the Provincial Party Committee’s Education Work Leading Group, and Wang Qiming, president and Party Committee secretary of the OUC, delivered speeches at the event. Wang Qiyue, deputy secretary-general of the Qinghai Provincial Government, along with leaders from universities participating in the "1+7" paired assistance initiative, also attended the conference. The event was chaired by Zhou Tianming, vice president of the OUC.

Wang Qiming attended the conference and delivered a speech.

According to the conference, the OUC along with seven other open universities including those in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Wuxi have established and implemented a paired assistance mechanism for open education in Qinghai. This initiative fully embodies the leadership of the Party and the advantages of the socialist system, and vividly demonstrates the solidarity of the Chinese nation as one family — a phenomenon unprecedented in the history of education in Qinghai. The group support mechanism enhances the distinctive and intrinsic development of open education in Qinghai, improves the quality of the teaching faculty, accelerates local economic and social development, and has played a unique and historic role in promoting the sharing of teaching resources, management, resource construction, and the development of specialised majors, thereby steadily improving the overall quality of education in Qinghai.

It is emphasised that we should earnestly study and implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his visit to Qinghai, and the spirit of the sixth plenary session of the 14th CPC Qinghai Provincial Party Committee. We must bear in mind the ardent wishes of the General Secretary, strengthen our political commitment, accurately grasp our goals and positioning, deepen group support and collaboration, and focus on serving the overall situation. By uniting all forces, working hard on depth and expansion, and accelerating the intrinsic development of open education in Qinghai, we can achieve significant progress.

We should take this conference as an opportunity to further build consensus, deepen cooperation, work hand in hand for mutual benefit, and strive to create a new landscape of paired assistance for open education in the new era. In doing so, we will make our contributions to the goal of becoming a leading country in education.

According to Wang Qiming, over the past three years, the OUC has thoroughly implemented the important directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping on deepening the collaboration between eastern and western regions and the work of paired assistance. The university system has harnessed the collective efforts of its seven branches to support Qinghai, establishing a regular working mechanism for group support. This collaboration has been instrumental in nurturing professionals in ethnic areas, enhancing the quality of teaching staff through various initiatives, developing specialised courses, promoting the sharing of high-quality learning resources, and significantly advancing scientific research capabilities. Additionally, efforts have been made to improve school conditions and promote effective education partnerships in Qinghai, yielding substantial results.

Wang emphasised the need to further proactively integrate into Qinghai's development strategy, addressing the specific needs of Qinghai OU and effectively fulfilling the "1+7" units' responsibilities. He advocated for continuing to mobilise the strength of the seven OUC branches, enhancing the support mechanism, and providing precise guidance and assistance. The aim is to ensure that key initiatives are well-executed and yield positive outcomes, expand the scope and depth of paired assistance, and advance the construction of "three bases, two centres, four platforms" at Qinghai OU. This initiative strives to establish Qinghai OU as a distinctive regional open university.

Qujiang Shangma, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and president of Qinghai OU, provided a comprehensive summary of the university's work in various areas, including teacher training, resource construction, student education, non-degree education, research, and IT development. He highlighted the effectiveness of the "1+7" paired assistance mechanism in advancing open education in Qinghai, which has received strong momentum from this support. Under this initiative, the Party leadership has been strengthened, and talent training has shown effective results. The initiative to foster education through virtue cultivation has seen remarkable outcomes, teaching quality has improved steadily, and senior education is expanding.

Additionally, scientific research and innovation have yielded significant results. The overall standard of educational operations continues to rise, and various programmes are developing vigorously. Looking ahead, Qinghai OU will focus on key tasks such as deepening educational and teaching reforms, enhancing resource construction and talent training, and exploring new avenues in open education. It will also strengthen cooperation and exchanges with supporting open universities and strive to achieve new successes in serving a society committed to lifelong learning and in building a learning nation.

Representatives from seven OUC branches in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Wuxi discussed and presented speeches on the collaborative support for open education in Qinghai, highlighting the outcomes achieved over the past three years and outlining future initiatives.

The Bureau of Elderly Cadres of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, the Qinghai Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Education, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Finance, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Affairs, colleges and universities in Qinghai, the OUC, seven OUC branches supporting Qinghai, as well as heads and teacher representatives from Qinghai OU and leaders of Qinghai RTVU at the municipal (prefectural) and county (district) levels in Qinghai Province attended the conference.

By Qinghai OU