On December 3, 2012, the OER (Open Educational Resources) Asia Symposium was held at Guangdong Radio & TV University. Delegates from the Open University of China (OUC) attended the symposium.

Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan, former president of the Open University of Hong Kong and chairman of the board of governors at Malaysia's

Wawasan Open University, delivered a report on the state of OER research over the past two years. The report also highlighted the development of OER publications, ICT, and the development and application of OER. Prof. Li Yawan from the OUC gave a speech on OER development in China and potential areas in which the OUC will work to promote OER. Specifically, she stressed the OUC's strategic plan concerning OER development and possible areas for collaboration. She also illustrated the problems facing OER development in China, including how to promote sustainable OER development. 

The symposium was also attended by Prof. Fang Jianzhuang, president of Guangdong Radio & TV University; Yang Yongbo, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of the OUC; Prof. Song Bo, director of the Administrative Office at Guangdong Radio & TV University; and related personnel from Malaysia's Wawasan Open University, the Open University of Hong Kong, the Vietnam Foundation and so on.

About the OER Asia Project: 

The OER Asia project is financed by the International Development Research Centre in Canada, supported by the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), and was initiated by Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan from Wawasan Open University in Malaysia. The project brings together scholars from various countries and regions, such as India, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, mainland China, Hong Kong, etc. The entire project lasts 27 months and has hosted 4 symposiums successively in Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan. Guangzhou is the fifth and final symposium, which indicates that the project is drawing to a close.

By Hou Songyan, the OUC