On the morning of 18 January 2021, after 37 years of operation, Hainan Radio and TV University was officially renamed Hainan Open University (OU), ushering in a new era of strategic transformation and upgraded development. On the same day, an opening ceremony for Hainan OU was held along with Hainan TV Evening School of Rural Revitalisation and Hainan University of Rural Revitalisation.

Li Jun, vice secretary of Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC); Liu Pingzhi, vice governor of Hainan Provincial People’s Government; Yi Yun, vice chairman of Guangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Ju Chuanjin, member of the Party Committee of the OUC and vice president of the OUC; and Kong Lingde, secretary of the Party Committee of Hainan Radio and TV University (RTVU), unveiled the nameplates of the three universities. Lu Zhiyuan, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Hainan Province, attended the opening ceremony. Also in attendance were Cao Yuanxin, vice secretary-general of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee; Wu Mujun, vice head of the Organisation Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee; responsible personnel from some units directly under the People’s Government of Hainan Province; representatives of the retired leaders of the universities; and teachers and students. Li Yuenan, vice director of Hainan Provincial Department of Education, read out the approval documents.

Since its establishment in 1983, Hainan RTVU has consistently provided all people in Hainan Province in grassroots communities, industries, and rural areas with diversified degree education and non-degree education at multiple levels. In recent years, it has taken part in the operation of a TV evening school for poverty reduction and made positive contributions to winning the battle of poverty alleviation in Hainan Province. In accordance with the requirements of The OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan, the province made the decision to rename Hainan RTVU as Hainan OU. Furthermore, Hainan was the first province in China to operate the TV Evening School of Rural Revitalisation and the University of Rural Revitalisation to strengthen the achievements of poverty alleviation and to promote rural revitalisation in an all-round way, offering intelligent support for the acceleration of the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port.

As Li Jun pointed out, the renaming represents the overall strategic transformation of the university. Hainan OU shall further study General Secretary Xi Jinping’s guiding principles on continuing education, lifelong education, and education for all and implement the relevant decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the State Council, the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, and Hainan Provincial People’s Government in order to speed up readjustment and transformation. It will explore the integrated development of higher education, community education, continuing education, and other non-degree education, and make new contributions to building a learning society and a lifelong learning system in Hainan. It will highlight its educational features in serving the rural revitalisation strategy, and step up efforts to cultivate a large force for rural revitalisation by leveraging the opportunities provided by the University of Rural Revitalisation and the TV Evening University of Rural Revitalisation and by focusing on “the five rejuvenations.”

Hainan OU shall innovate its teaching contents and methods in order to deliver classes to the fields by adopting multiple frontline operation models integrating information technology in an open way in an effort to create “a university in the field” with no threshold and no walls.

In his speech, vice president Ju Chuanjin offered his warm congratulations to Hainan OU. He indicated that the inauguration of Hainan OU is a significant milestone in the history of its reform and development, and specific requirements have been made for the future operation of the university.

Reprinted by the OUC News Network from Hainan Daily