On March 2, 2023, the Open University of China (OUC) held a meeting to deploy its work for the year.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the meeting deeply studied and implemented the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, conveyed important messages from meetings such as the Ministry of Education’s 2022 year-end summary, the 2023 National Education Work Conference, and the World Digital Education Conference, summarized achievements and experiences, analysed the situation and problems, and arranged and deployed the university’s key work for 2023. Jing Degang, the secretary of the university Party Committee and president, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Cao Guoyong, the executive deputy secretary of the university Party Committee, presided over the meeting.

Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC

Cao Guoyong, executive deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee

The meeting pointed out that we must firmly focus on the main direction, carefully carry out the key tasks in 2023, and the overall requirement is to take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as a guide, closely centre around the main line of thoroughly studying and implementing the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, seriously implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important statements on education, comprehensively strengthen the Party’s leadership over school work, comprehensively implement the Party’s educational policy, implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, and take “seeking progress while maintaining stability, upholding integrity and innovation, improving quality, and enhancing image” as the overall tone of work. We should accelerate the construction of the development pattern of “one body and two wings,” “double-wheel drive,” “three carriages,” and “four major platforms” for schools, launch and implement the “six major projects,” make due contributions to building a learning-oriented society and a learning-oriented country, and strive to build a digital university that connects the world.

The meeting clarified that in 2023, the university will focus on implementing six major projects. The first is to implement the Party building quality improvement project with the implementation of the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as the main line. It is necessary to comprehensively strengthen the Party’s leadership over school work, implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, continue to promote branch construction, optimize the selection, cultivation, and appointment of cadres, and continuously promote strict governance of the Party.

The second project is to launch the digital university construction project with a focus on serving teachers and students to promote lifelong learning. We need to do a good job in top-level design of digital universities, solidly promote the connotation construction of digital universities, systematically promote the digitalisation of learning resources, deeply promote the digitalisation of the teaching process, steadily promote the digitalisation of exams and assessments, comprehensively promote the digitalisation of management and services, and strengthen the construction of support platforms for digital universities.

The third project is to implement the education and teaching innovation and quality improvement project by deepening reforms. It is necessary to carry out in-depth education and teaching reforms, foster and build a new high-quality professional teacher team, and enhance the effectiveness of running the Experimental School.

The fourth project is to launch the project of shaping students’ core literacy, focusing on improving adaptability. It is necessary to introduce implementation plans that highlight the shaping of students’ professional skills, digital thinking, mathematical and foreign language foundations, artistic accomplishment, and other aspects of literacy. We should adhere to the concept of cultivating individuals through cultural and aesthetic education, carry out pilot reforms that integrate ideological and political education, professional education, and aesthetic education, and do a good job in innovation and entrepreneurship education, guiding the education system to take innovation and entrepreneurship education as a breakthrough and proactively integrating into the mainstream of higher education.

The fifth project is to implement the construction of the Seniors University of China, with the aim of promoting virtue, learning, health, happiness, and accomplishment. We should strengthen top-level design, promote the construction of the educational system, enhance the construction of the teaching staff, upgrade and construct public service platforms, and organise large-scale enrollment.

The sixth focus is on scientific research, implementing the demonstration project of collaborative innovation centres for industry, education, and research. The key is to establish collaborative innovation centres for industry, education, and research, continuously enhance the ability to drive development through scientific research and innovation, and effectively promote research on education and teaching.

The conference required that we should focus on this year being the starting year for fully implementing the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and insist on making learning and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Party a top political task and long-term strategic task to continuously unify our thinking and consolidate our strength. According to the unified deployment requirements of the conference, we should focus on key points, clarify responsibilities, and, with a more vigorous and enterprising spirit, solidly promote the implementation of various tasks this year, with a particular emphasis on implementing and carrying out the “six major projects” well. We should strive to deliver an outstanding report card by the end of the year and make new contributions to building a world-class open university.

At the meeting, the Department of Reform and Development, the School of Marxism, the School for Older Adults, the Experimental School, the Academic Affairs Department, the Learning Resources Department, and the Information Technology Department reported their work plans and expected results for 2023 around the conference theme.

Written by Xue Han and photographed by Zhuge Huanyu, OUC