“Education Moving China — A Selection of Excellent RTVU News Reports” recently concluded, and 60 news reports were awarded prizes. The selection activity was jointly conducted by the Open University of China (OUC), aka China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) , and China.org.cn. Ten reports were awarded first prizes, including "College Dreams for 130,000 Officers Come True Thanks to OUC Bayi School's Military Distance Education" (published in PLA Daily) from the OUC Bayi School. Twenty reports received second prizes, including "A Thousand Village Officials Go to College" (published in Guangzhou Daily) from Guangzhou RTVU. Thirty reports received third prizes, including "Forty Qingdao Model Workers Go to College Free of Charge" (published in China Education Daily) from Qingdao RTVU. The winning news reports truly reflect the positive role of the OUC and the RTVU system in promoting equal access to education and improving the quality of the entire nation.Wide coverage and active voting
The OUC was established in 2012. The concept of lifelong learning has become very popular, and RTVU staff published many excellent news reports to publicize and promote the reform and development achievements of the RTVUs and the progress of the strategic transition to the OUC. In early 2013, “Education Moving China —A Selection of Excellent RTVU News Reports” was jointly launched by the OUC (CCRTVU) in order to review the achievements of the OUC news media and highlight the success of open education.
The selection started in January 2013, and nearly 200 news reports were submitted by the OUC, 34 provincial RTVUs, Beijing OU and Shanghai OU. All of them were original works composed at various open universities and RTVUs around the country. Since their display on China.org.cn in March 2013, they have attracted interest from a broad audience, and over 2.1 million online votes were received.
The selection also drew the attention and support of related experts. Zhu Yongxin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice president of the Chinese Society of Education; Wang Dayong, director of the Guangming Daily Department of Education; and Tan Fangzheng, vice director of the Information Office of the Ministry of Education, offered consultation related to the selection and highly praised the selection activity.
Expounding the open university philosophy with “moving”reports
Of the 60 winning reports, 13 showcase the contributions of open education to rural construction, 5 highlight achievements in the development of community education, 3 report on personalized online training services for Party cadres, and 9 illustrate the attention given to specialized groups, such as the disabled, people in remote or minority areas and the military. All of the reports are closely related to the theme "Education Moving China" and focus on the contributions of open universities in constructing a learning society and promoting local socio-economic development. The reports vividly portray the major reforms and new spirit of the RTVUs in their transition to open universities.
For instance, the news report “Guangxi RTVU's Ruan Wenping (China Profiles' First Person of the Year) Cultivates Learning at Lingyun Yao Village” was written by Guangxi RTVU Party Secretary Cui Jian. The article uses the dramatic story of Ruan Wenping’s growth and success to vividly illustrate a simple truth: Knowledge changes lives. The open universities' history of contributions in changing the lives of millions of Chinese citizens and in shaping the destiny of the entire Chinese nation cannot be overlooked. Open universities face a long road ahead and shoulder heavy responsibilities, but the future is bright.
The report “Guizhou RTVU Online Learning Platform is Hot” details how Guizhou RTVU uses its strengths to actively serve society and its students. In part, it reflects the pragmatic action and achievements of open universities at various levels in implementing the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020).
Newsworthy and of great social value
The selection of excellent RTVU news reports elicited an enthusiastic response. The reports share the following striking "news" features:
The first is immediacy. A comprehensive survey of the winning reports shows that they are all very timely. Zhang Leibin’s report "College Dreams for 130,000 Officers Come True Thanks to OUC Bayi School's Military Distance Education" and other reports were all researched, written and released as soon as possible, providing timely and powerful guidance for public opinion.
The second is strong appeal. The winning reports are dynamic and vivid, not mechanical or cliché. Like "The OUC School of Tibet: Paving a Miraculous Heavenly Road to Distance Education" by OUC’s Jin Hongyu, the reports use vivid descriptions and stories to enhance emotional appeal and readability, which further deepens people’s appreciation for the unique and irreplaceable role of open universities.
The third is promotion value. The role of news reports, to a great degree, is to spread far the voice of the wise and to amplify the voice of the weak, to share excellent experiences and to popularize effective practices. The winning news reports are not only newsworthy but also worthy of mass promotion. RTVU students setting up cooperatives, Qingdao RTVU’s “new resident class” empowering a new generation of migrant workers, and Zhejiang’s vocational training for military family members are all examples of good practices that can be learned from.
By He Jing, the OUC