From the 27th of November to the 3rd of December, 2023, the Open University of China (OUC) organised a delegation of media reporters to attend an “OUC Tour” to explore the senior universities in Fujian.
They visited Fuzhou, Jinyi Village of Gutian County, Yuku Village, Jikou Village of Sha County, Fukou Village, Xiamen city, and other places. They had face-to-face exchanges with the relevant government personnel, the heads, various students, teachers and volunteers of senior universities, through seminars and on-site visits. They held an interview regarding the progress of the construction of the Seniors University of China (SUC), and senior education of Fujian province in all aspects.
Since the CPC Central Committee and State Council’s Opinions on Strengthening the Population Aging Work in the New Era was released on the 18th of November, 2021, in which it was clearly stated: “build the SUC based on the OUC”, the OUC has taken the initiative to undertake the task, and shoulder the responsibility of promoting the high-quality development of senior education. With vigorous efforts, the SUC was officially founded on the 3rd of March, 2023, opening a new chapter for the senior education in China. The SUC has been actively building a national public service platform for senior education, developing and collecting nearly 400,000 high-quality senior education resources with the principle of "cultivating virtue, pursuing lifelong learning, proactively maintaining health, embracing a joyful life, and achieving positive accomplishments". Relying on the OUC school system, the OUC has been preparing for the founding of the SUC branches. It has set up more than 55,000 learning sites for senior education at the grass-roots level, constructing a network of senior education covering urban and rural areas, as well as villages and communities nationwide, extending high-quality senior education resources to the grass-roots level, and continuously expanding the supply of resources for the senior education.
Fujian Open University Launches the AI-aided Activities for Seniors and Empowers Senior Education with Digitalisation
The delegation learned that with the joint efforts of many parties, Fujian Open University (Fujian Open Internet University for the Elderly) has gradually built up a five-layer network of education for the elderly in urban and rural areas, which is universally beneficial, and benefits people at “province-city-county-town-village” levels. Besides, it has established a public service platform for education for the elderly in Fujian Province, which creates a strong atmosphere of encouraging lifelong learning.
In Fuzhou City, the reporters visited classes of Chinese calligraphy, dance, vocal music and tea culture, and interviewed teachers and trainees in the Smartphone Shooting and Editing class, learning about the strong demand from the elderly for smart technology training, in the context of the digitalisation tide. Fujian Open University (Fujian Open Internet University for the Elderly) has actively carried out special AI-aided activity, constructed 42,000 courses, courseware and other digital resources suitable for the seniors, and built the "Fujian Elderly Learning Network", "Fujian Lifelong Learning Online" and other learning resources. Mobile learning functions, such as mobile phone apps and WeChat apps have been developed to promote the elderly to enjoy the easy-access life. The Fujian Open University (Fujian Open Internet University for the Elderly) has also set up the Digital Fujian Lifelong Education Big Data Research Institute, to innovate a comprehensive, lifelong learning public service model through big data.
Gutian Open University Innovates the “Health Preservation-Education Combination” Model and Serves Grassroot Governance in Villages
The press corps discovered that the combined model of health preservation and education featuring co-learning, accompaniment and eating together, is an innovative initiative by Gutian Open University, to carry out education for the elderly. In December of 2021, the Innovation Base for Senior Education of Gutian Open University was selected among one of the first batch of Lifelong Education Innovation Bases in Fujian Province. In April of 2022, the “health preservation-education” combined model project was rated by the Ministry of Education as an innovative project of the national community education practices. In Gutian County, Ningde City, the reporter delegation investigated the Jinyi Learning Centre and Yuku Learning Centre. The interviews found that this model integrates social governance into daily learning and voluntary activities, organises learners to participate in voluntary activities, such as policy propaganda, knowledge dissemination, science popularisation and cultural inheritance, and builds a platform for the elderly to show themselves and give full play to their roles, which effectively helps the elderly live happily and exercise their role, and enhance their participation and satisfaction.
Sha County Open University Provides Education for the Elderly in Urban and Rural Areas. Retired Teachers Contribute within Their Retirement
According to the delegation, the Sha County Open University exemplifies the extension of university education for the elderly, to grassroots levels and ensures accessibility to the masses. Presently, the whole region of Sha County has already founded 75 such classes, with over 100,000 elderly students. These efforts have received recognition from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other relevant departments.
In Shaxian District, Sanming City, the delegation researched the Jikou Village Class for the Elderly, the Fukou Village Class for the Elderly in Fukou Town, and the Fuqian Community Class for the Elderly, and interviewed Deng Yangqing, who is both a student and a teacher. It is gathered that Deng Yangqing, 95 years old, who retired from the post of teacher at Langkou Primary School in Shaxian District, has founded two schools for the elderly, Maiyuan and Chafengxia in Qiujiang Street, Shaxian District. In the autumn of 2021, he enrolled in the OUC to study the major of Agricultural Economics and Management, and realised his pursuit of the life philosophy of "never too old to learn".
Xiamen Open University Utilises Social Resources to Provide Quality Education for the Elderly
With the support of the Education Bureau, the Old Cadre Bureau of Xiamen Municipal Party Committee, Civilisation Office and other departments, Xiamen Open University and Xiamen Senior-Citizen University cooperated to found the Xiamen Branch of the SUC. With the joint cooperation of several parties, a three-dimensional schooling service network, involving multiple departments, was established.
In Xiamen City, the delegation witnessed that the Xiamen Branch of the SUC attaches great importance to lifelong education. It optimises the allocation of resources, such as people, money and materials, and gives some preferences in system and institutional policies. Xiamen City actively promotes the legislation on education for the elderly, and widely seeks legislative opinions; innovates the modes of elderly education, and jointly signs the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the Siming District Senior Citiezens University, to carry out training of management and teaching personnel for the elderly education, research and development of elderly education quality courses, and teaching research on education for the elderly. Furthermore, the Xiamen Lifelong Learning Network has been established, to meet the growing, upgrading, and personalised needs of the elderly based on local conditions.
Delegation Reports: OUC System Plays a Significant Role in Advancing the Development of Senior Education
Although the interview tour was brief, the delegation gained a better understanding of the OUC system's involvement in constructing a lifelong education system, promoting a learning society, and extending education opportunities to the elderly. They were impressed by the achievements of the OUC and its ability to harness the resources of society to provide education for seniors.
Lan Qing, a reporter from the China Senior Citizen Newspaper, said: "Through this interview activity of the 'Journey to the OUC', we see the efforts made by the OUC to set up a school system to promote the running of the SUC. We witness the effectiveness of senior education from the smiling faces of the elderly. Especially in the rural classrooms of Gutian and Sha County, we have seen the promotion of education for the elderly, for rural revitalisation and the construction of rural civilisation. Though these classrooms may be simple, the joy of learning is no less than that found in modern city classrooms. Rural and urban classes bring the same happiness to the elderly!"
Wang Hao, a reporter from the China Youth Daily, said: "As people's living standards improve, there is an increasing demand for elderly education. The senior citizens have the need to learn new knowledge and skills, develop their interests, and embrace the desire to integrate into the new era. We see that the OUC gathered their resources from the collective society to run the SUC. The civil affairs system, the organisation system, and the education system worked together to provide a solid guarantee for realising the goal for the elderly to learn something, and do something in their retired days. We hope that there will be more universities for the elderly with colourful courses and activities to enrich their cultural life.
Sun Xiaoguang, a reporter from the People's Political Consultative Conference Newspaper, said: "Teaching is visible and great, because education is invisible. Here they learned musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, music and dance; here they found the joy of childhood; here they burst with youthful vigour. Thanks to the OUC and thanks to the SUC, which has set an example for serving the aging society."
Written by Wu Huimin; photographed by Zhuge Huanyu, OUC