From 8 to 11 July, the Ministry of Education's (MOE) 2024 Fifth National Training Programme on Textbook Development and Management was held in Beijing.

Wang Jiayi, a member of the Leading Party Group of the MOE, vice minister of Education, and national chief inspector, attended the opening ceremony of the training programme and the inaugural meeting for the first batch of the MOE's Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project textbook compilation in the new era, where he delivered a speech. Officials from the MOE’s Department of National Textbook, the Department of Higher Education, the Department of Social Sciences, the Department of Degree Management & Postgraduate Education, and the Open University of China (OUC) attended the opening ceremony. Representatives from 35 universities responsible for the compilation of the first batch of 63 types and 111 textbooks under the MOE's Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project, including university officials in charge, heads of textbook management departments, chief editors, deputy chief editors, and experts in relevant subjects, participated in the training.

The 2024 Fifth National Training Programme on Textbook Development and Management was hosted by the OUC.

Opening Ceremony

Wang Qiming, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, attended the opening ceremony of the training programme. Zhou Tianming, vice president of the OUC, presided over the special report session and the closing ceremony of the training programme. Relevant officials from the Department of External Education and Training, the School of Marxism, the Learning Resources Department, and the Publishing & Media Group of the OUC attended the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, attendees systematically studied General Secretary Xi Jinping's important directives on textbook development, especially his guidance on building a textbook system with Chinese characteristics in philosophy and social sciences. They also gained insights into the new challenges and requirements for the development of philosophy and social sciences textbooks, as well as the work deployment set by the MOE's Leading Party Group for the compilation of the first batch of textbooks under the Marxist Theory Research and Development Project in the new era.

Thematic Discussions

To enhance the effectiveness of the training and focus on key areas of the MOE's textbook development and management work, the OUC, as the host unit, fully utilised the strengths of various departments and  adopted a collaborative approach to meticulously plan, organise, and implement the training, aiming to create high-quality training programmes in the field of textbooks. The OUC established a leadership group led by Zhou Tianming, with Hu Yang, director of the Department of External Education and Training, serving as the deputy leader, to coordinate the planning and implementation of the training. Additionally, a training working group was formed to coordinate the design and execution of the implementation plan. Various departments worked together in a coordinated manner, carefully planned, and meticulously organised to formulate the training implementation plan, organise the training, and conduct the effectiveness study, ensuring the success of the training.

On-Site Group Photo

The participants from the 35 universities highly praised the training, and the MOE’s Department of National Textbook also fully acknowledged the efforts made by the OUC. By hosting this training programme, the OUC has built a communication bridge with experts and scholars from regular universities, empowering the OUC's construction of Marxist theory disciplines and academic research, and providing support for the development of various undertakings of the OUC. Meanwhile, the OUC's abilities to design non-degree education courses, organise and implement training, and provide support have been significantly enhanced. Such high-level, high-standard, and high-quality training practices have effectively enhanced the brand of the OUC's social training.

By Department of External Education and Training, OUC