On June 26, 2013, the inauguration of Gansu Branch of the Open University of China (OUC) and the completion ceremony of the Open Education Building of Gansu Radio and TV University (RTVU) were held at Gansu RTVU. The OUC Vice President Yan Bin, Party Group Secretary and Director-General Wang Jiayi of Gansu Department of Education, and Secretary Chen Bingzhang of Gansu RTVU CPC Committee unveiled the nameplate.
Gansu Centre of the National E-Learning Resource Centre and the Gansu Branch of Learning Achievements Accreditation Centre of the OUC were inaugurated, the 2 pilot colleges of Pingliang and Jinchang, and the 5 study centres of Zhouqu, Lixian, Minxian, Qin’an, and Huating, under the administration of the OUC Gansu Branch, were also authorized at the inauguration. At the same time, a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the Gansu RTVU Open Education Building was also held.
Secretary Chen Bingzhang of Gansu RTVU CPC Committee and President Wei Ruqin attended the inauguration. The ceremony was chaired by Li Yanrong, vice Party secretary of Gansu RTVU CPC Committee and secretary of the OUC Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC. Present at the completion ceremony were also provincial RTVU leaders from Hunan, Jiangxi, Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Xi’an, Guangzhou, and Qingdao, who were attending the workshop on experimental open universities under the administration of the OUC, and responsible persons from departments and offices of the OUC and Gansu Department of Education, as well as presidents of branch schools of Gansu RTVU, directors of the experimental work stations, and a total of about 300 Gansu RTVU staff members.
Wang Jiayi expressed the hope that Gansu RTVU would take the opportunity of the inauguration of the OUC Gansu Branch to accelerate educational reform, fortify university management, keep expanding the scale of the university, and improve education and teaching quality; that it would seriously put in place the strategic requirements of Gansu CPC Committee and Gansu People’s Government “to establish open universities that meet the needs for a learning society by integrating various categories of educational resources based on RTVUs”, and to build Gansu Open University at the fastest and earliest possible time so as to make positive contributions to Gansu’s economic development and social progress. Gansu Department of Education and other administrative educational authorities at all levels in the province would render strong support to the RTVU development to facilitate the building of OUC system and OUC reaching out to the grass-root units, communities, and rural areas.
OUC President Yang Zhijian delivered a video speech. He said that over the last few years, Gansu RTVU had made substantial progress in administration localization, system construction, staff, development, infrastructure construction, improvement of teaching quality, and non-degree education. He hoped that Gansu RTVU would, under the leadership of Gansu CPC Committee, Gansu People’s Government, and the Gansu Department of Education, and with the full support of the OUC, continue to make bold advances and innovation in free and creative thinking, innovation, and experimentation in college education projects and study centers within the OUC system. By doing so, Gansu RTVU would be able to offer more useful experience for the reform and development of RTVUs all over the country, to provide learning opportunities and quality service for all the people who had the ability and willingness to receive higher education, to achieve the goal of learning for all everywhere at any time, and to make due contributions to the formulation of a flexible and open education system for lifelong learning.
Wei Ruqin indicated that Gansu RTVU would prioritize the construction of OUC Gansu Branch and its colleges and study centers under the guiding principle of “unified strategy with common platform and resource sharing, relatively independent advancement with complementary staggered development and exclusive characteristics”. Efforts would be stepped up to improve the administration system of the Gansu Branch in line with the ideal of pilot exploration, summary evaluation, access coverage, and long-term construction. Efforts would be made to promote fresh exploration in deepening education and teaching reform, building characteristic specialties, intensifying quality resource construction, enhancing digital teaching, upgrading the construction of learner support systems, and building a “credit bank” so as to achieve the strategic transition to open universities in a very real sense.
The OUC Vice President Yan Bin and Gansu RTVU Vice President Ji Ping Unveiling Gansu Center of National E-Learning Resource Centre
The OUC Vice President Yan Bin and Secretary Chen Bingzhang of Gansu RTVU CPC Committee Unveiling Gansu Branch of Learning Achievements Accreditation Centre of the OUC
OUC Vice President Yan Bin Authorizing the Two Pilot Colleges of Jinchang and Pingliang Within the OUC Gansu Branch System
Authorizing the Pilot Study Centres of Zhouqu, Lixian, Minxian, Qin’an and Huating within the OUC Gansu Branch System
By Gansu RTVU