Recently, a book written by Shi Jinwen, Jiang Zhouling, and other writers from Guangxi Radio and TV University (Guangxi RTVU), Research on Poverty Alleviation through Education Using the Open University as an Example, was published by Thread-Binding Books Publishing House.
The book is the result of Guangxi modern distance education research centre's research on the key topic "Study of Poverty Alleviation through Education Relying on the Open University”, a key research centre for humanities and social sciences among Guangxi institutions of higher learning chaired by researcher Shi Jinwen. It received project funding from the 2018 Guangxi Key Academic Works of Social Sciences Published Projects of the Association of Social Sciences of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The publication and distribution of the book is of great theoretical and applied value in deepening the theoretical study of poverty alleviation through education, innovate the model of poverty alleviation through education, and promote educational equity, quality, and modernisation .
The book has nine chapters in two parts. The first part is a theoretical study illustrating the development history and trend of poverty alleviation in China. Poverty alleviation is an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics and is currently a top priority in China. Anti-poverty work should start by solving prominent problems in order to set up a long-term mechanism with endogenous power and vitality so that impoverished people can make money though working on their won. Education stimulates the endogenous power of impoverished people, improves the self-development capacity of people in poverty-stricken areas, effectively halts the inter-generational transmission of poverty, facilitates the sustainable development of poverty-stricken families, and is thus a fundamental part of comprehensive poverty alleviation. Thanks to the advantages of the modern and distance open education network system of running schools, and the advantages of information technology and learning resources, it can effectively assist the poverty alleviation project through education. Based on this, it is possible to apply a systematic perspective, holistic view, concept of symbiosis, concept of balance, and dynamic concept that relies on the online education platform of the open university and depends on education for the handicapped, the “One College Student per Village” programme, rural teacher training, education for migrant workers, and community education, and through this actively explore and construct an all-in-one, ecological model of poverty alleviation through education. This model can better exert the fundamental role of the open university in poverty alleviation and push it to a deeper and more refined development stage and therefore help more people and families to get out of poverty. The second part is a practical exploration, including a deep analysis and explanation of concrete practices, including community education, the “One College Student per Village” Programme, education for the disabled, education for migrant workers, and teacher training for rural primary and secondary school teachers. It proposes focusing on poverty alleviation work through education based on the reality of poverty-stricken areas and personnel. It also conducts a modular-based curriculum system and the innovation of the education and management model, striving to enhance the education level of poverty alleviation through education and the quality of all kinds of non-profit professional training.
Researcher Lv Yusheng, team leader of the Advisory Committee for Policy Decision of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government and dean of Guangxi Northern Gulf Development Research Institute, believes that this book closely adheres to the features of the era, with integrated theory and practice, and that it aims to explore an effective method and model for poverty alleviation through education that is rich in originality and science. Its research results are realistic, expert, systematic, and applicable, providing important theoretical support for the effective implementation of the policy of stimulating poverty alleviation through education. It is an important reference to win the fight against poverty as an education power.
Professor Deng Jun, Party secretary of Guangxi Normal University, wrote a foreword for the book. He believes that winning the fight against poverty was an important decision made by the Party Central Committee and an important symbolic part of realising the target of building a moderately prosperous society. This requires every party member and cadre to lead by example, keep the original intention in mind, keep the mission in mind, take the lead, and make positive contributions to winning the battle against poverty through their own practical actions. Researcher Shi Jinwen and her team have conducted an intensive study of the important issue of poverty alleviation through education, reflecting that it is necessary to make an active intellectual response to the call of the Party, with practical action to implement the "four services" of colleges and universities, ideological consciousness, political consciousness, and action consciousness.
By Chen Simin, Guangxi RTVU