A forum on the reform and development of open universities in China’s central cities was held in Qingdao on 13 August 2022.
The event, aiming to implement the spirit of the Comprehensive Reform Plan of the Open University of China (OUC), to help open universities serve the economic and social development of those cities in 2022, and realise their high-quality development there, was attended by Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, who gave a speech. The leaders of 13 open universities in central cities also attended, and participated in discussions presided over by Ju Chuanjin, vice president of the OUC. At the meeting, an Association of Collaboration among the open universities was established, and a seminar on preparation for the construction of the National University for Older Adults was held.
Jing Degang pointed out that open universities in central cities should become regional leaders of lifelong education via demonstration, guidance, innovation, experiment and coordination.
Planning for the Development of Open Universities in China’s Central Cities under the New Situation A Forum on Reform and Development of Open Universities in Central Cities
Site of the forum
Jing Degang, secretary of the Party committee and president of the OUC
At the forum, Jing Degang extolled the achievements of open universities in China’s central cities in implementing the OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan and pursuing high-quality development. He analysed their emerging situation and challenges in terms of building an education system serving lifelong learning for all, and spoke of what an open university is and does, and how it works, as well as future reforms and development.
He stressed that in the ten years since the founding of the OUC, use of information technology has grown and teaching reforms have deepened, with particular advances in moral education. Open universities in central cities should become regional leaders of lifelong education via demonstration, guidance, innovation, experiment and coordination, establishing support for a national system of lifelong education.
Ju Chuanjin, vice president of the OUC, presiding over the meeting
For more than 40 years, the OUC and 44 other open universities and branches at provincial, municipal and prefectural levels (Radio and Television Universities (RTVUs) or open universities) and their workstations at district and county levels have formed an integrated system covering the whole country, giving two generations open access to higher education featuring "advanced communications + quality lectures by famous teachers" as well as low costs and high efficiency. Of these, 13 open universities in central cities have remained indispensable.
Representatives of these gave speeches and reported on their implementations of the OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan while also offering suggestions for future development. In the meeting the universities agreed to base their progress on its guidance, to continue expanding cooperatively in their regions, focus on teaching quality as well as fairness and flexibility in relation to their students, and support the development of open education both regionally and in the nation as a whole.
Shaping a Synergy in Guiding Open Universities in Central Cities Opening Ceremony of the Association of Collaboration among Open Universities in Central Cities
Launch of the Association of Collaboration among Open Universities in Central Cities
The Association of Collaboration among Open Universities in Central Cities was initiated by open universities in Dalian, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi'an and Qingdao, under the guidance of the OUC. The association is voluntary and promotes equality, cooperation and development through sharing of the resources of the OUC system and enhanced operations and influence, with the aim of promoting national lifelong learning and the construction of a “learning society”. At the conference, the articles of the association were adopted, with Qingdao Open University and Wuhan Open University elected as first rotating-chair units.
Exploring the New “Internet + Elderly education” A Seminar on Preparations for the Establishment of the National University for Older Adults
The seminar on preparations for construction of the National University for Older Adults
To speed up its establishment, a seminar on preparations for the National University for Older Adults was held following the establishment of the association.
Jing Degang stressed the importance of taking every opportunity to promote development, with the National University for Older Adults aiming at inclusiveness and integration. The new "Internet + Elderly Education" would integrate development of " health care and preservation, learning and travel ", leading the OUC system in promoting "Building a Better and Stronger National University for Older Adults". Meanwhile, he asserted that the open-university system would be active in promoting teaching management and services, the construction of teaching teams, and sustainable development of education at the new university.
Reprinted by OUC from E-Learning