Yan Bing, vice president of the Open University of China (OUC) and leader of the Education Support Group to Xinjiang, led a delegation of five members to make a survey and investigation trip to Xinjiang on education support and open university construction from April 25 to 26.
The delegation went to Xinjiang Radio and TV University and Xinjiang Corps Radio and TV University,
listened to reports on bilingual teaching, online platform building and teaching resource construction in both universities, and exchanged views on how to better help Xinjiang's education development.
With regard to education support to Xinjiang, Yan Bing pointed out that the Ministry of Education and other related departments had held a conference in Urumchi on July 29 2010 to further the development of Xinjiang's education and the instruction of a central symposium on developing Xinjiang and National Conference on Education. Minister of Education Yuan Guiren emphasized that the development of education in Xinjiang relies on a strong sense of political commitment, a keen awareness of the overall situation, a high sense of responsibility, and a deep emotional attachment to the Xinjiang people. The conference has specified five main tasks for the development of education in Xinjiang. In November 2010 the Ministry of Education set up a leading group to carry out educational work in Xinjiang with the minister as the director. The OUC also set up a Working Group on Education Support to Xinjiang with Yan Bing as its leader.
As for the educational assistance work in Xinjiang, Yan Bing highlighted that, the OUC has always regarded it as a political mission, and has lent tremendous support to Xinjiang Radio and TV University and Xinjiang Corps Radio and TV University in teaching resource construction, bilingual teaching and online platform building. The bilingual courses in the open education programme have enrolled more than 20,000 students in Xinjiang. One of the most valuable objectives of the OUC is to satisfy the needs of disadvantaged groups and the underdeveloped regions and improve education equality. The OUC should demonstrate the will of the state and follow its educational direction, and comprehensively arrange the task of providing educational help for Xinjiang. The provision of assistance by the OUC is different from that by the government and other universities. It is fully focused on the teaching resources construction, supplying high-quality teaching resources to the two radio and TV universities in Xinjiang, and providing better services for different learners, making a contribution to the building of a learning society there and demonstrating the characteristics of distance education. The OUC should strengthen its ties with the local offices in this regard. Education support to Xinjiang from different radio and TV universities should keep pace with the general plan of the local government to make their individual plan more pertinent and more effective. Furthermore, in August 2011, a symposium will be held to specify the guidelines for providing educational aid for Xinjiang in the whole system of radio and TV universities around the country.
Li Yanzhong, OUC