To implement the Decision of the State Council on Further Strengthening Rural Education, cultivate practical talented people who can be useful and stay in rural areas, and address the shortage of highly skilled professionals in agriculture and rural areas at the time, the Ministry of Education (MOE) launched the “One College Student Per Village” Programme (hereafter referred to as “the Programme”) in 2004.
The Open University of China (OUC) (the former China Central Radio and Television University, CCRTVU) and its educational system were responsible for organising and implementing the Programme. Over the past 20 years, the OUC has cultivated a large number of local talented people by leveraging its systemic advantages and using modern distance education and information technology. This has provided crucial support for developing a high-quality talent team dedicated to advancing various undertakings in agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and driving social progress. Against this backdrop, a reporter visited the Henan Branch of the OUC to gain an up-close look at the Programme.
According to Zhao Jihong, secretary of the Party Committee of Henan Open University (OU), the university has adhered to the educational orientation focused on serving grassroots communities, rural areas, and social development by fully utilising the advantages of the open university system and its information technology capabilities. In alignment with the rural revitalisation strategy, the university has gradually developed a new model for cultivating talent for rural revitalisation. This model includes a rural revitalisation science and technology service team; two high-quality resource banks tailored to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, encompassing a high-quality teaching resource library and an expert talent pool; a smart education platform called the Henan Rural Revitalisation Online College; a rural revitalisation lecture hall; and multiple rural revitalisation practice bases. By actively exploring these “new digital models for rural revitalisation”, the university has so far trained more than 50,000 local talented people who can stay and be useful for the development of agriculture and rural areas, and contribute effectively to rural revitalisation.
Zhao Jihong stated, “Next, Henan OU will continue to uphold its educational mission of strengthening the university through talent, establishing the university through quality, and rejuvenating the university through distinctiveness. We aim to gather higher-quality resources, further enhance coordination between government and universities, and promote the integration between vocational education and continuing education, and between industry and education. We will focus on developing the Henan Rural Revitalisation Online College, effectively implementing the MOE's Programme, and steadily advancing the “Dual Improvement Project in education and skills”. Additionally, we will drive high-quality development of the “Certified Skills for All in Henan” initiative, providing stronger talent support for fully advancing rural revitalisation and accelerating the modernisation of agriculture and rural areas.”
In the fall semester of 2021, Zhu Delin, known as the “Green Onion Brother” from Songxian County, Luoyang City, Henan Province, enrolled in the Programme at the OUC, majoring in Public Administration Management (for rural management). His village, Zhuyuangou, is located in the hilly area of western Henan. For many years, traditional crops were low in yield with little added value in product, which troubled local villagers and significantly hindered poverty alleviation efforts. As secretary of the Party branch of the village, Zhu Delin focused on resolving the most practical problems that are of the greatest and most direct concern to the people. He actively organised land transfer and explored the distinctive planting model of “green onion + tobacco leaves”, scaling up the industry and developing high value-added agriculture. This approach helped the villagers get rid of poverty and paved a unique path to wealth through entrepreneurship for Zhuyuangou Village. By 2017, the village not only achieved high-quality poverty alleviation but also succeeded in having its green onion industry registered as an agricultural product under Henan's initiative that aims to cultivate new breeds, improve product quality, foster agricultural brands and standardise agricultural production. Zhuyuangou Village was also honoured with “the Comprehensive Poverty Alleviation Award”， “Advanced Village for Land Reclamation”, and “Advanced Village for Green Onion Production”. The Party branch of the village was recognised by the Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China as an “Advanced Grassroots Party Organisation in Henan Province”.
Li Zhanyu, secretary of the Party branch and president of Songxian County OU, said, “Comrade Zhu Delin graduated from Songxian County OU in the spring of 2024. During his studies, he gained clearer work strategies and improved rural governance skills by learning subjects like Rural Sociology, Village and Township Management, and Agricultural Extension. In his work, he promoted the advancement of land transfer and development of distinctive industries such as tobacco leaves, sweet potatoes, green onions, and cattle farming. He also made use of internet sales. All these efforts have generated over 10,000 yuan per acre and nearly 20,000 yuan in per capita income for the villagers, with the collective annual income exceeding 300,000 yuan. Through the study of ideological and political course, Zhu Delin broadened his perspective, strengthened his faith, and fostered a deep sense of compassion. This drive led him to take action during the critical lockdown of Wuhan during the COVID-19 epidemic, when he travelled thousands of miles to deliver 100,000 yuan worth of green onions to the affected area, making him a model for epidemic relief in Henan Province.”
It is learned that Zhang Zuoshuai from the Yiyang Branch of Luoyang OU enrolled in the MOE’s Programme, majoring in Business Administration (for Township Enterprise Management). In 2013, he founded Luoyang Golden Sweet Potato King Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., and was named one of the “Top Ten Leading Figures in Rural Revitalisation” by the Henan Federation of Trade Unions and Henan Rural Revitalisation Bureau in 2022. He was also named one of the “Top Ten Model Figures” in Luoyang’s initiative of model workers assisting in poverty alleviation. A case study based on his personal entrepreneurial journey won the first prize in the Second OUC Outstanding Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cases Competition for the MOE’s Programme.
Zhang Zuoshuai said in an interview that his studies in the Programme greatly enhanced his abilities in company management and operation. Luoyang Golden Sweet Potato King Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. has since developed into a whole industrial chain enterprise engaged in sweet potato cultivation, processing, sales, and research, with an annual output value reaching 10 million yuan. The company’s products were listed among the first batch of the National Catalogue of Famous, Special, Excellent, and New Agricultural Products and have received national green food certification for its sweet potatoes and sweet potato vermicelli. Through the model of “Company + Cooperative + Base + Large Farmers + Impoverished Households”, the company has facilitated sweet potato cultivation across around 20,000 mu (about 1,333 hectares) in 16 townships, benefiting over 1,500 impoverished households and boosting their incomes.
It is reported that in 2021, the Programme won the 2020 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education. This award highlights the Programme's role as a replicable, adaptable solution, providing Chinese experience and contributions for talent development in underdeveloped areas worldwide. The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the MOE’s Programme. According to available data, as of June 2024, a total of 43 branches, 2 industry and corporate colleges, and 1 specialised school with 2,274 learning centres have participated in the implementation of the Programme, covering 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China. The programme has enrolled a cumulative 1.107 million students, producing 788,000 university graduates for rural areas.
Reprinted from People's Political Consultative Conference Network