In Lianfeng Village, Huzhen Township, Jinyun County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, a go-kart track has been built encircling a lotus pond. The rural tourism is thriving.
"I participated in the 'One College Student Per Village' Programme, organised and implemented by the Open University of China (OUC) and its affiliates. Through field visits and practical teaching, I witnessed the thriving development of rural areas across the country, which also inspired new ideas to increase villagers' income," said Lou Ganqiang, secretary of the General Party Branch and head of the Villagers’ Committee of Lianfeng Village.
Currently, the OUC has a total of 4.567 million students enrolled in its higher education degree programmes, including Lou Ganqiang. The OUC, a new type of university built on the foundation of the Central Radio and Television University (CCRTVU), is dedicated to promoting lifelong learning. Supported by modern information technology and characterised by the "Internet Plus" approach, it offers open education nationwide. Since its establishment, the university has leveraged its system advantages to provide strong support for building a society and country where lifelong learning is pursued by all.
Peng Qinglin, a delivery rider, studies logistics management through online courses in his spare time to enhance his professional skills. Sun Xiaojing, after graduating in social work from the OUC School for the Disabled, regularly provides public welfare consultations for the disabled, applying the knowledge she has gained. In this "university without walls," countless students have benefited from their learning.
"The OUC is firmly committed to delivering education that is tailored to communities, industries, rural regions, remote areas, and ethnic minority regions. The educational achievements benefit all sectors, making significant contributions to the widespread adoption of higher education and the improvement of equal access to education," stated Wang Qiming, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC. The current educational system, which includes the OUC, provincial-level open universities, and local study centres, extends across both urban and rural areas.
In addition to providing degree programmes, OUC has actively expanded its non-degree educational offerings to consistently meet societal needs. The university has focused on broadening community education, enhancing social training programmes, and effectively managing education for the elderly. Last March, the Seniors University of China, which operates under the OUC educational system, was officially launched.
"Uncles and aunties, let's tap the musical note symbol so we can add music to our short videos," said Wang Yu, a tutor at the Seniors College, SUC, as he guided the students in video making. "Learning new things has brought more joy into my life," shared Lian Suhua, who is over eighty. She has learned to shoot and edit short videos, making her life more colourful and enriched.
The SUC has established 55,000 learning points across the nation. The National Education Platform for the Elderly boasts 436,000 course resources, totaling 4,089,000 minutes. The SUC educational system is continuously being refined, enhancing lifelong learning, happiness, and engagement for older adults.
The OUC offers a diverse array of learning opportunities through its lifelong education platform. Upon accessing the online portal, users are greeted with a variety of courses including artificial intelligence, legal knowledge, and gourmet cooking. Clicking on the course titles allows users to view related videos. Since its launch in May 2022, the OUC Lifelong Education Platform has accumulated over 1.03 million high-quality resources and has served nearly 61 million users. By transcending time and space, it delivers exceptional resources directly to learners.
Academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as experts and scholars from renowned universities and research institutes, are invited to the “Academician Lecture Series” project to popularise scientific knowledge among the public. This initiative has produced 19,000 minutes of high-quality educational resources, engaging over 500 million people in learning across the network. Additionally, famous painters and calligraphers have been invited to the “Art Masters Lectures” project to teach, achieving a total online viewership of 16.2 million people. It is reported that the OUC has consistently focused on the deep integration of information technology with educational methods, providing students with a more convenient learning experience. The university is striving to meet students' personalised learning needs with a diverse range of high-quality learning resources.
Wang Qiming stated, 'We are committed to empowering lifelong learning through digitalisation, contributing to the development of both a learning society and country. The university will accelerate its digital transformation, strengthen the open university system, and enhance the SUC, aiming to make significant contributions to the progress of building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts for the Chinese nation.'
Reprinted by OUC News Network from People’s Daily, Page 5, Dated 30 June 2024