December 4, 2010 saw the "Forum on National Community Education Work" hosted by the Ministry of Education in Hangzhou. Practices and experiences in developing community education in recent years were summarized and analyzed. An in-depth analysis was made of the current state of and new opportunities in community education work, and a work plan was made on tasks for community education at present and in the future.

Lu Xin, vice minister of education, Mao Linsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

Zhejiang Committee and director of the Publicity Department, Liu Xiping, director of the Department of Education in Zhejiang Province, director Ge Daokai and deputy director Liu Jiantong of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education in the Ministry of Education (MoE), Yang Zhijian, president of the Open University of China (OUC) and Chen Xiaoping, vice mayor of Hangzhou attended the forum. About 500 people in charge of the related work in the national, provincial and municipal educational departments attended the grand event.

In her speech, Lu Xin made a systematic summary of the practices and experiences in developing community education in different areas in the past ten years, and made an in-depth analysis of the new situations and new opportunities facing those working in the community education field. She pointed out that the extensive implementation of urban-rural community education for the present and in the future will center on the overall scheme of the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020), stepping up the construction of urban-rural community education institutions and networks, developing community education resources, and working to make community education influential and powerful. The carrier platforms, resource supply and operation paths of community education must be improved in an effort to build community education into an effective platform for lifelong learning and to formulate a complete lifelong learning network system covering both urban and rural areas.

Lu Xin spoke several times of the key role the radio and television universities played in the cultivation of professionals for new China. She said that in the new historical period, full play must be given to the advantageous resources of open universities in community education to construct a flexible and open lifelong learning system. A resources pool for national community education must be made to construct a lifelong learning system based on the development of the OUC resources.

At the forum, Liu Jiantong read out the name list of the units honored with the title of National Community Education Demonstration Areas by the MoE and the notice of the MoE to have the plate of "Research and Training Center for Community Education of the MoE" hung at the OUC School of Continuing Education. The leaders present at the forum conferred the plates of National Community Education Demonstration Areas to the 68 units awarded the honor. Lu Xin herself handed over the plate of "Research and Training Center for Community Education of the Ministry of Education" to Yang Zhijian.

The "Research and Training Center for Community Education of the Ministry of Education" will carry out its work under the guidance of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education. Its major responsibilities include: to carry on training, consulting, service and guidance on community education tailored to open universities and various social educational institutions; to explore the working modes and innovation mechanisms of community education; to build a public service platform to meet the needs of social members from all walks of life for lifelong learning; to build and improve organizational networks and popularize community education achievements; to develop, construct, integrate and extend quality community education resources; to conduct educational training of professional groups and community education employees.

On the afternoon of the same day, the organizer of the forum held an exhibition on the achievements of National Community Education Demonstration Areas in Kaiyuan Vocational High School of Trade in the Xiacheng District of Hangzhou. Before the OUC exhibition stand, Yang Zhijian introduced to Lu Xin the construction and utilization of the OUC community education resources pool. Lu Xin hoped that the open university system would continue to bring into play the advantages of open universities at different levels, to integrate and develop educational resources, and to explore resource construction of different types so as to set up better communication and exchange platforms for community education in China. 

By Yu Zhangli and Ma Tao, the OUC