On 4 March 2021, the Open University of China (OUC) held its 2021 Annual Work Conference. The conference studied the implementation of the important remarks made by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the guiding principles of the instructions given by the leaders of the Party Central Committee as well as the work deployment of the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Education.
It summarised the university’s work in 2020, analysed the current situation, and mapped out the university’s main tasks in 2021.
The conference was convened in two stages, which were presided over separately by Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, and Cao Guoyong, deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee. All the members of the university leadership made speeches around the theme of the conference in combination with the work they are responsible for and made arrangements for their work in 2021. Major responsible persons from eight departments, namely, the Reform and Development Department, the Organisation (Personnel) Department, the Academic Affairs Department, the Experimental School, the Open University for Older Adults, the Department of External Education and Training, the Learning Resources Department, and the Information Technology Department, made reports on key tasks and expected achievements in 2021.
It was pointed out at the conference that the university achieved the optimum coordination of both its business development and epidemic prevention in 2020, and obvious progress was made in all key tasks. The OUC has entered a new stage of reform and development and has taken solid steps towards the construction of a first-class global open university.
It was underscored at the conference that the year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. It is also the first year of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, which marks China embarking on a new journey to build a modern socialist country. The university will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; implement the guiding principles of the Party’s 19th National Congress, and the second, third, and fourth plenary sessions of its 19th Central Committee; act on the requirements of the Party Central Committee; continue to follow the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability; create plans that cover both epidemic prevention and control and business development; promote the meaningful development of comprehensive reform; focus on the high-quality development of open education; take reform and innovation its fundamental driving force; advance “the four transformations”; and create “the four platforms.” By doing this, the OUC will set the stage for the construction of an educational system serving lifelong learning for all, and help to make China a comprehensive education power as part of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China with outstanding achievements.
Jing Degang delivered a summary speech with the topic “Striding Forward in Search of Breakthroughs and Forging Ahead to Open a New Chapter.” He underlined that advantages will be concentrated in 2021 in order to make breakthroughs in the following 10 aspects: high-quality Party building, education and teaching reform, experimental school construction, social training, the open university for older adults, informatisation construction, learning resources, teacher and student work, scientific research and internationalisation, and internal governance.
Jing Degang mapped out the OUC’s upcoming work in 2021 from the following four aspects.
The first is to use high-quality Party building to lead high-quality development. The OUC will continue to enforce full and strict Party self-governance, and will successfully conduct work related to the campaign on Party history learning and education in compliance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee under the strong leadership of the Party Leading Group of the Ministry of Education. It will further advance Party branch work, thoroughly put into effect “the centenary action,” and hold a series of activities to welcome the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
The second is to strengthen the headquarters, and to develop outstanding academic subjects and large-scale non-degree education. The OUC will focus on education and teaching to improve the quality of education and enhance the centrality and cohesion of the educational system. It will spare no efforts to advance the 1233 Project and to make greater progress in developing high-quality degree education, giving more and larger-scale social training, and offering better education for older adults.
The third is to get off to a good start, strengthen the foundation, and stabilise development. In order to do this, the OUC will follow the principle of steadiness. It will stick to what is going right and make future-oriented innovations in order to implement the university’s Fourteenth Five-Year Plan.
The fourth is to focus on characteristics to optimise structures, solve problems, and promote reform. The OUC will maintain its spirit of openness, reform, and struggle, and try to solve its existing problems, such as its large scale but lack of strength, excellence, characteristics, or flexibility. It will demonstrate its advantages and strengthen any areas of weakness in order to form its own educational characteristics and strengths.
Jing Degang made four requirements for this year's work. The first is to advance reform and development in a down-to-earth way. It is necessary to change the OUC’s work style, to improve its methods, and to put in place reform policies and measures. The second is to attend to key businesses by staying on top of the key work points for the year. It should strengthen assessment and management, and promote the implementation of key businesses through assessment. The third is to offer services in a careful manner. It will improve the attitude in which it offers services, bring together more people, and create a good environment for teaching staff to engage in their work. The fourth is to develop a progressive culture in a heart-felt way. The people of the university are its faithful successors, and will work diligently in defiance of difficulties. In this way, the OUC can build a high-quality team of professional cadre and create a good, clean environment in which they can give full play to their potential.
Jing Degang stressed the necessity to develop a three-pronged spirit, that is, the spirit to serve the people, to blaze new trails in development, and to engage in arduous struggle. In this way, it will keep up the momentum of its fight and make a final sprint from the starting point in an effort to realise further breakthroughs in development, enhanced Party building capacity, better system construction, and increased cohesion, and make outstanding achievements in 2021 to welcome the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Written by Wu Yaqi and photos by Zhuge Huanyu and Zhang Jun, OUC