On 23 September 2021, the Open University of China (OUC) held a video conference with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Jing Degang, secretary of the OUC Party Committee and president of the OUC, and Mr David Atchoarena, director of the UIL, attended the meeting, which was presided over by Liu Zhanrong, director of the OUC International Department.

Jing Degang gave a general introduction to the OUC, including the history of the school and its development goals. He noted that as a new type of university directly affiliated to Ministry of Education of China, the OUC is devoted to serving lifelong learning for all and places a special emphasis on educational equity and education for specific groups. The OUC has made positive contributions to China’s reform and opening up, as well as to the country’s social and economic development.  In the future, the OUC will step forward to reach its strategic development goal of being a world-class open university and actively promote the “Four Transformations” and build the “Four Platforms.” At the end of the meeting, Jing Degang extended an invitation to Mr Atchoarena to visit the OUC when he gets the chance.

Mr Atchoarena accepted Jing Degang’s invitation and gave a general introduction to the UIL, including its history and its three current agendas, “quality of lifelong learning, inclusiveness, and relevancy.” He believes that the OUC is the most important lifelong education institute in China and it deserves high recognition in terms of its efforts to promote the development of lifelong learning for all and its use of information technology to enhance the quality and effectiveness of lifelong learning.

The two sides held initial exchanges on key areas and discussed possibilities for future cooperation, including the construction of lifelong learning ability and research cooperation, the construction of lifelong learning disciplines, lifelong learning and information technology, and the promotion of China’s lifelong learning experience to the world.

Other participants of the meeting included Feng Liguo, director of the OUC General Office of Party and Administration; Wang Ying and Li Wei, director and deputy director of the OUC Lifelong Education Research Institute; Yuan Yaxing, director of the OUC Information Technology Department; Wang Mo, UIL senior project expert; and Teng Jianxi, UIL ICT programme expert.

Written by Wang Xiangxu; photo by Zhuge Huanyu, OUC