During the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), it was proposed that "We will promote the digitalisation of education and build a society and country of learning where lifelong learning is pursued by all."

In alignment with the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the relevant requirements of the national education digitalisation strategy, the Open University of China (OUC) has launched the Lifelong Education Platform. This initiative also saw the inauguration of the Seniors University of China (SUC), marking significant strides in serving the construction of a learning-oriented society through digitalisation.

Since its establishment in May 2022, the Lifelong Education Platform has provided nearly 60 million services to lifelong learners from 200 countries and regions. The platform has gathered over 1.03 million resources, totaling 1.1 million hours of learning time, and has registered 6.8 million users. It has been actively exploring the application of new technologies and launched the intelligent learning companion "Baize," offering personalized learning support to learners. The platform has undergone iterations and upgrades to enhance the user experience, especially for special groups. The "Care Mode" and "Elderly Mode" have been introduced to accommodate the elderly and users with disabilities, ensuring elderly-friendly and accessible learning. Moreover, the platform is linked to the National Credit Bank for Vocational Education, introducing functions such as lifelong learning records and course completion certificates, ensuring that users' learning achievements are preserved on the national platform.

Since its inauguration in March 2023, the SUC has consistently adhered to its educational principles of "cultivating virtue, pursuing lifelong learning, proactively maintaining health, embracing a joyful life, and achieving positive outcomes." These principles have led to significant achievements across various aspects of its work. The university has accelerated the construction of an educational service system and established 55,000 grassroots learning points, serving a total of 22.14 million elderly students. Furthermore, the university has developed the National Education Platform for the Elderly, which hosts 436,000 courses amounting to 4.089 million minutes, attracting over 2.35 million users and providing a total of 57.08 million learning support services. It has organised 10 calligraphy and painting masters for the production of 10 "Art Master Lectures" in public welfare aesthetic education, benefiting over 522,000 students, with a total of over 15.8 million online views. The School of Proactive Health has been established to develop a curriculum system for active health. Special activities have been launched, and Academician Zhang Boli has been invited to deliver the "First Class of the Semester," which was watched online by over 1.2 million viewers nationwide. The "Health and Happiness Lectures for the Double Ninth Festival" have also been hosted for live broadcast, with well-known experts like Hu Dayi invited to share practical knowledge on elderly health, reaching over 4.5 million viewers online. Furthermore, a special Spring Festival program titled "In the Name of Youth" was organised, with the online and TV audience reaching over 56 million.

Next, the OUC will launch the "Double-Ten Plan," an initiative aimed at fostering excellence and enhancing quality through the Lifelong Education Platform and the SUC. This action plan is designed to drive significant advancements in building a learning-oriented society, empowered by digital technology. The Lifelong Education Platform will continue to spearhead ten major actions: AI-empowered lifelong learning, education services for global outreach, support for rural revitalisation, services fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, initiatives for female development, promotion of lifelong learning records, development of social learning classrooms, support in enhancing digital literacy, encouragement of nationwide reading, and the promotion of community lifelong learning. These actions will foster the deep integration of modern information technology with education, enhancing the accessibility of high-quality educational resources. The SUC will intensify its efforts to implement ten key initiatives fully. These include building institutional frameworks and mechanisms, developing the university education system, enhancing the quality of course resources, constructing and popularizing platforms, assembling a team of skilled teachers, offering credit bank services, boosting research and academic standards, promoting international exchanges, establishing demonstration bases, and engaging in branding and empowerment activities. By the end of 2025, the university aims to become a pioneering new model of seniors' university, aligned with China's national conditions and possessing a certain level of international influence in leading the innovative development of elderly education. The university will have a clear focus, distinct educational features, openness for resource sharing, and flexibility in learning methods. This will contribute to the creation of a learning-oriented society and support the national strategy for an ageing population.

By Jin Hongyu, OUC

Source：WeChat Official Account of MOE's Information Office