Nanjing Open University for the Elderly (Nanjing OU for the Elderly) was inaugurated at the launch ceremony of “Nanjing Lifelong Learning Activity Week” on 28th October 2017.

Based on Nanjing Radio and TV University (Nanjing RTVU), Nanjing OU for the Elderly integrates social resources in order to modernise elderly education and strives to build a new pattern for the development of elderly education with Nanjing local characteristics, which adheres to the educational concept of “you are never too old to learn, never too old to enjoy happiness, never too old to be taken care of, and never too old to make a contribution,” focuses on expanding the availability of education for the elderly, and innovating the elderly education system mechanism.

Nanjing OU for the Elderly has developed a group of elderly education courses and learning resources with themes including health care and preservation, humanities and social sciences, art cultivation, leisure and sports, and elegant living. It has already launched courses in calligraphy, painting, photography, smart phone applications, and English for tourism, with annual training amounting to 3,000 persons/times. Nanjing RTVU has constructed a lifelong learning platform, “Nanjing Online Learning,” which is free for citizens of Nanjing. Nanjing OU for the Elderly has also developed a website, which expands the pathways and channels for elderly education and further spreads the brand and its influence across the city.

In order to implement the State Council’s Development Plan for Elderly Education (2016-2020) and the development requirements for elderly education put forward by Nanjing municipal committee and government, and further stimulate the scientific development of elderly education, Nanjing Education Bureau decided to construct Nanjing OU for the Elderly, spread elderly education, and create the OU’s elderly education brand by leveraging Nanjing RTVU’s leading role and relying on RTVUs (community schools) in districts across the city.

Deputy director of Nanjing Education Bureau Pan Dongbiao and president of Nanjing RTVU Chen Sheyu jointly inaugurated Nanjing OU for the Elderly. At the same time, Chen Sheyu presented plaques to the first batch of five open universities for the elderly at the district level located in Nanjing’s Xuanwu, Jianye, and Qianhuai districts.

Chen Sheyu stated that the construction of Nanjing OU for the Elderly system is an important measure taken by the Party and government in response to China’s ageing population, with the aim of realising education modernisation and developing a learning-oriented city. At present, there are five approved open universities for the elderly at the district level. Full coverage of OUs for the elderly will be realised at the district level across the city by the year 2020.

The inauguration ceremony of Nanjing OU for the Elderly was widely reported on in the local media, including Jiangsu TV education channel, Jinlin Evening, and Modern Express.

By Nanjing RTVU