From 3rd to 4th March, the 2018 annual work meeting of the Open University of China (OUC) was held in Beijing.
President Yang Zhijian allocated the main tasks for 2018 and put forward relevant work requirements at the meeting, which was chaired by vice president Qi Yanwei and attended by the OUC leadership and all its middle level cadres. The meeting, according to the overall work arrangement of the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2018 and in combination of the actual situation of OUC’s reform and development, aimed to further to liberate thinking, deepen reform, work realistically, and comprehensively promote reform and construction, so as to take the work of the OUC to a new level.
Yang Zhijian gave a speech on the topic of "Developing the OUC with the Spirit of Producing a Blockbuster Film", in which he analysed four subtopics: "The Pendulum Swings Both Ways", "Developing the OUC with the Spirit of Producing a Blockbuster Film”, "Tasks and Goals for 2018", and "A Winding Road Leads to a Distant Place.” Yang Zhijian analysed the changes to the external and internal environment involving the OUC. He stressed the importance of emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts and keeping pace with the times, and actively promoting reform and innovation. He pointed out that the OUC should keep its original aspiration in mind, remember its mission, maintain strategic concentration, promote the "1314 project”, increase market and brand awareness, delineate key work points, increase input for personnel and funding, and use its advantages to make up its disadvantages, in order to achieve cross-border cooperation and a win-win situation.
There are several priorities for the OUC’s work in 2018. The first is to strengthen the construction of the Party, and to run and govern the Party in an all-round way. We should further study, publicise, and carry out the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the CPC. An annual plan should be made according to the overall deployment, work tasks, and specific requirements of the Party committee of the MOE. The Party's institutional building should be strengthened and the work related to changing the term of the Party committee should be completed.
Secondly, ideological and political education should be strengthened and the construction of 4+2 ideological and political courses should be completed. The structure of majors should be optimised and some specialties with few or no students should be merged or closed down. Recruiting work for groups of majors with low enrolment should be suspended. The focus should be on building a number of larger scale majors for junior college and undergraduate programmes and a number of new majors for junior college, undergraduate, and postgraduate programmes that display high market demands should be created. The practice and exploration of the "Six-Network Integration" personnel training model should be comprehensively promoted. The construction of online teaching team should be enhanced and work should be done to promote the branch schools to construct on their own and join in the construction with the OUC and the integrated operation work. A number of opinions on deepening the reform of education and teaching and improving personnel training quality and related sub-files should be issued. Finally, preparations should be made for the convention of a teaching work conference.
Thirdly, the OUC should focus on the construction of education information. Work should be done to realise the clustering, optimisation, connection, and comprehensive application of the apps of the OUC’s learning platform. The application of the online learning space in online teaching, resource sharing, teaching management, and comprehensive evaluation should be further promoted. A number of cloud classrooms should be built in state-level poverty stricken counties along the "Three Regions and Three Prefectures" and "Long March Belt” areas. The construction of online curriculum learning resources, and the integration and transformation of five-minute digital learning resources should be enhanced in a comprehensive means. Management informatisation must be fully realised at the OUC headquarters and cross-border cooperation should be comprehensively promoted.
Fourth is the construction of the "OUC Community". The strength and speed of the construction of industry institutes and business schools should be further improved. The construction of the OUC’s divisions should be steadily promoted and the enthusiasm of the OUC divisions and local institutes in the operation work should be fully developed. Power should be decentralised in order to implement the construction of the experimental schools, which should follow the construction methods of a special district and collaborative preparation should be made in the construction. A university Council Committee and a preparatory work conference for the board of directors should be convened.
Fifth, it is necessary to further clarify the implementation of the construction of the credit bank and make sure to complete the launch of the Online Credit Bank platform.
Sixth, an overall plan should be made for the construction of overseas Learning Centres, in order to successfully run the OUC’s Learning Centre in Zambia and inaugurate the construction of other overseas learning centres.
Seventh, we should further develop and improve the overall plan for the construction of the Open University for the Older Adults and make breakthroughs in setting up programmes for the Experiential Centre, promoting regional colleges, and related cooperation.
Eighth, in accordance with the requirements of the MOE and the National Poverty Alleviation Office, we need to step up efforts to promote targeted poverty alleviation work related to education in “Long March Belt” and "Three Regions and Three States” area.
Ninth, the OUC should implement the reform of the OUC headquarters’ construction, management, and operation mechanism. We should further adjust and delineate the functions of various institutions, clarify boundaries, and create a collaborative working mechanism. The performance pay system should be improved, reported, and implemented, and relevant reward and punishment systems should be researched, formulated, and released. The work of changing the terms for middle-level cadres should be completed. In addition, we should actively explore a non-degree education model, carry out in-depth research into open and distance education, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, conduct effective news and propaganda work, strengthen trade union and retirement work, strengthen financial management and the management of enterprises run by the university, and improve logistics, security, and asset management.
Yang Zhijian put forward four work requirements: Firstly, work should be delegated to the right people and implemented and reviewed on a timely manner. Progress and breakthroughs must be stressed and the work responsibility mechanism should be implemented comprehensively. Secondly, the work should take a hands-on approach, coordinated progress should be made, and understanding of and tolerance for colleagues should be enhanced. Thirdly, investment in funding, personnel, time, and energy should be increased and supervision should be strengthened. Fourth and finally, the spirit of the eight provisions should be strictly implemented, a clean and self-disciplined atmosphere should be created, a healthy spirit should be upheld, and a good working environment should be created at the OUC.
The participants held in-depth discussions over the spirit of Yang Zhijian’s speech and the draft of the OUC’s Key Work Points for 2018, and put forward detailed recommendations based on the actual situation of specific departments. The participants agreed that President Yang Zhijian's speech accurately described the situation, direction, tasks, and requirements for 2018, and that we must fully understand and grasp it in order to do a good job in 2018.
Note:
"Three Regions" refers to Tibet, four prefectures in southern Xinjiang (Hetian, Akesu, Kashi, and Kirgiz Autonomous Region) and Tibetan areas in four provinces (Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan); “Three Prefectures” refers to Liangshan state in Sichuan, Nujiang in Yunnan, and Linxia in Gansu.
By Jiang Yanyan, OUC