On 3rd November 2023, marking the ten-year anniversary of the introduction of the significant concept of "targeted poverty alleviation" by General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Open University of China (OUC) generously donated books to Yisa Middle School, Yisa Primary School, and Yisa Kindergarten in Butuo County, part of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province.
The donation ceremony took place at Yisa Middle School and was presided over by Yang Chaobin, the deputy secretary of the Education Work Committee of the County Party Committee, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the County Education and Sports Bureau, and the principal of Yisa Middle School.
Li Guangde, dean of the Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College), participated in the meeting via video link. During his address, Li Guangde shared some fundamental insights about OUC, highlighting the proactive steps the university has undertaken to support the high-quality educational development in Butuo County. He pointed out that Butuo County has been strategically partnered with OUC as part of the national rural revitalisation initiative. The Party Committee and the OUC leadership have given significant attention to this partnership, particularly to the educational support provided to Butuo County. The OUC is committed to mobilizing all available resources and expertise to ensure steady progress in the various assistance projects.
In April 2023, the OUC responded to the lack of extracurricular reading materials in Butuo County by organising a book donation drive. This initiative was part of the Reading Month activities at OUC and was a collaborative effort between the Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine (Rural Revitalisation College), the Department of Learning Resources (Digital Library), and the Labour Union. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of staff members participating and contributing a total of 5,281 books. The collection included children's books, picture books, and various other reading materials. This activity was aimed at enhancing the extracurricular lives of teachers and students in the primary and secondary schools of Butuo County. Its goal was to promote the balanced development of education in a targeted manner and to inject new energy and strength into rural communities through the support of educational advancement.
On behalf of all the teachers and students in Butuo County, Yang Chaobin has extended his heartfelt appreciation to the OUC. He noted that since the initiation of the paired educational assistance, the OUC has been dedicated to the maxim "OUC strives to fulfill Butuo County's educational needs," consistently adhering to the tenet "Poverty alleviation starts with the cultivation of intellect." The OUC has provided targeted and highly effective support in teacher training, material donations, financial aid, and book contributions. Butuo County plans to utilize the various resources provided through this support to make new contributions, achieve notable progress, and exert every effort to foster high-quality educational development in Butuo County.
Contributed by Bureau of Education, Sports, Science and Technology in Butuo County, OUC