From 16th to 24th March 2017, at the invitation of Egerton University, African Council for Distance Education, and the Open University of Tanzania, the Open University of China (OUC) dispatched a delegation led by its vice president Yang Xiaotang to visit Kenya and Tanzania.
The delegation members included relevant personnel from OUC’s Chinese Language Centre, Education Research Institute (Scientific Research Management Office), and International Cooperation and Exchange Department.
In Nairobi, Kenya, the delegation visited Egerton University Nairobi City Campus and Secretariat of African Council for Distance Education. During the visit the delegation had a meeting with director of Distance Education Division of Egerton University, former president of Egerton University Professor, Ezra Maritim, and general secretary of African Council for Distance Education Prof. Rotimi Ogidan. As the representative of Kenya's higher distance education dual mode, Egerton University has accumulated rich experience in promoting the integrated development of distance education and campus education, the integration of quality standards, etc. At the same time, the university also undertook the role of Secretariat of African Council for Distance Education, and served as an important hub for coordinating the development of distance learning in higher education in Africa. The African Council for Distance Education is one of the most important forces for promoting the development of distance education in Africa. Currently, it has 55 members, and it is one of the important universities that encompass various kinds of models of distance education carried out in Africa (such as single mode, dual mode, and multimode). The delegation exchanged views on how to promote inter-school cooperation between the OUC and Egerton University, how to carry out further technical exchanges and cooperative study with the African Council for Distance Education. They have reached preliminary cooperation agreements.
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the delegation, at the invitation of Chinese ambassador to Tanzania Lyu Youqing, came to visit the Chinese embassy in Tanzania. They met with the ambassador Lyu Youqing, honorary president of the Open University of Tanzania and former prime minister of Tanzania Pinda, and president of the Open University of Tanzania Prof. Bisanda. Ambassador Lyu Youqing gave a high appraisal of the development of the OUC, and recalled his study experience at the OUC. He was full of enthusiasm for the inter-university cooperation between the OUC and the Open University of Tanzania.
The delegation visits the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania.
Vice president of the OUC Yang Xiaotang meets with president of the Open University of Tanzania and former prime minister of Tanzania Pinda.
At the Open University of Tanzania, the delegation met and talked with the honorary president, the president of the Open University of Tanzania, the vice president, deans of various departments, heads of various administrative departments, and faculty of the university who have studied in China. Following the talks, both leaders signed a memorandum of understanding, clarifying that they would carry out practical cooperation and teaching staff exchanges, research cooperation, language learning, technical communication, and so on. The delegation also visited the headquarters of the Open University of Tanzania and Dar es Salaam regional centre. They visited the school library, computer room, video production room, teaching building, office building, laboratory, deaf students' classroom, etc. They communicated with the students at the university. The delegation accepted interviews from the local media and the visit was reported on by the Chinese embassy in Tanzania. In addition, the delegation also visited ZTE Dar es Salaam branch, and exchanged views on the development and main issues of Africa's communication technology, as well as the technical support available for the teaching service network. They demonstrated the mutual connection and communication effects of the cloud classroom, and discussed the possibility of the OUC leveraging Internet technology to carry out distance education teaching in Tanzania.
The OUC and the Open University of Tanzania signed a memorandum of cooperation.
The delegation met with the representatives of the Open University of Tanzania.
By Li Wei, OUC