On September 1st 2011, the signing ceremony for the "Agreement on the OUC Assistance to Tibet University for Joint Construction of the OUC School of Xizang During the 12th Five-Year Plan Period" was held at Tibet University. Director of the Department of Education in Tibet Autonomous Region, Song Heping, OUC President Yang Zhijian and Vice President Yan Bing, Secretary of the C.P.C. Tibet University Party Committee Fang Lingmin, and President Gesang Qunpei of Tibet University attended the signing ceremony presided over by Vice President Lou Yuanbing of Tibet University. Persons from the related departments of the OUC and Tibet University attended the opening ceremony as well.
Fang Lingmin said in his speech that the OUC School of Xizang has already become an indispensible part of Tibet's education system, especially for higher and continuous education. He pointed out that the establishment of the School of Xizang filled the absence of a Radio and TV University in the Tibet Autonomous Region, blazed a new trail of conducting distance education in areas inhabited by minority ethnic groups, created a new model of school operation with intercollegiate cooperation, built a great platform for economic and social development in Tibet, and held very bright prospects for the future.
OUC President Yang Zhijian highly acknowledged the unique function of the OUC School of Xizang in boosting Tibet's economic and social development, contributing to a system of lifelong learning, and promoting a learning-oriented society. He held that thanks to the close cooperation between Tibet University and the OUC over the last 9 years, the OUC School of Xizang achieved excellent results in building a professional cultivation model of modern distance education in line with the characteristics of Tibet. It set a fine precedent as a school jointly founded by the RTVU system and a regular university, leading to mutual advantage through collaboration and shared resources. The OUC School of Xizang produced a large number of qualified graduates, provided more opportunities for the people of Tibet to receive higher education and lifelong learning, and boosted Tibet's economic and social development and prosperity of the Tibetan people.
Yang also pointed out that during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the OUC would include the construction of the School of Xizang in its overall development plan and annual work schedule. Plans include enhancing the school's IT infrastructure, supporting the construction of a branch of the national digital learning resource centre, further organizing educational assistance to Tibet by appealing to other schools and institutes of the OUC, and offering free training for instructors. In this way, more learning opportunities and quality education services of efficiency and convenience would be available for Tibetans, and new contributions could be made to the construction of a learning society, rapid development and the long-term peace and stability of Tibet.
Director Song Heping of the Department of Education in the Tibet Autonomous Region expressed his hopes that Tibet University would continually strengthen its cooperation with the OUC, run the OUC School of Xizang effectively and make the most of the advantages of distance education to produce more excellent students for the development and long-term peace and stability of Tibet.
Yang Zhijian and Gesang Qunpei signed the "Agreement on the OUC Assistance to Tibet University for Joint Construction of the OUC School of Xizang During the 12th Five-Year Plan Period" on behalf of their respective universities.
By Ma Ruolong, the OUC