Recently, a letter of thanks was forwarded to the section for Student Enrolment Status in the Academic Affairs Department of the Open University of China (OUC) by the Academic Affairs Office of the OUC Tianjin branch. The letter was written by Zhu Ying, a Tianjin-branch student, to extend her heartfelt thanks to the leaders and teachers of her alma mater for their selfless help.

They enabled her to graduate despite the global pandemic and gain a work promotion, an urgent need for her.

Zhu Ying was an Administration major in the diploma-to-degree programme of the Tianjin branch Beichen School in the 2019 autumn semester. She had completed all her course requirements by the end of 2021. A conductor on the Tianjin Passenger Transport Section of Beijing Railway Bureau, she was, despite her outstanding performance, only eligible to work as a temporary contract employee because of her lack of an undergraduate degree. At the end of 2021, recruitment of permanent employees was initiated by the Tianjin Passenger Transport Section of the Beijing Railway Bureau. The deadline for submitting the application materials was approaching when the Tianjin Municipality suffered an outbreak of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2022. The Tianjin branch suspended its graduation work, and Zhu Ying was unable to obtain her certificate before the deadline.

She had already missed two opportunities to become a permanent employee, and did not want to miss a third. When she told her teachers of her predicament, the school immediately approached the branch for help. It recovered the graduation application and review with the help of security officials on duty at the university, and contacted the section for Student Enrollment Status of the headquarters for support. The section expedited the graduation procedures, including final examination and approval, uploading of the student’s educational status, and printing of the graduation certificate, which were submitted to the Tianjin Passenger Transport Section of the Beijing Railway Bureau on the day of their delivery. Soon after, she had gained her long-desired permanent position.

The Academic Affairs Department focuses on student-centered service that promotes student growth and development, is both standardised and personalised, and enhances student well-being. Comrade Zhu Ying wrote in her letter: “It was the OUC that guided me through the complex process of career development, along with the collaborative responsibility and personal attention of my teachers."

By OUC Academic Affairs Department