At the dawn of the new year, President of the OUC Yang Zhijian sent his greetings to teachers and students in radio and TV universities nationwide as well as friends and graduates at home and abroad who have faithfully supported open and distance education in China.

Teachers, students and friends,

A new year has arrived and nature awaits another spring. On behalf of the Open University of China, I would like to ring out the old year and ring in the new year by extending my utmost respect and warm regards to all the hard-working teachers, staff and students in radio and TV universities around China and to our retired comrades. I wish you all a Happy New Year!

The year of 2011 was very significant to China's radio and TV universities.

In 2011, we worked together as one to innovate and conscientiously implement the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020). We forged ahead on the important pilot project of "exploring the development of the Open University of China" while remaining focused on our regular teaching work, with excellent progress achieved on many fronts. The Construction Programme of the Open University of China was successfully approved by the leading Party group of the Ministry of Education, and we pushed forward with various preparatory work items including the top level design of an information-based education plan, high quality resource integration, basic framework construction and exploratory research on “four supporting alliances”. In radio and TV universities (RTVUs) around the country, there were 1,020,000 new student enrollments and 730,000 who completed their associate or undergraduate degree education; the number of registered students reached 3,330,000. Approximately 2,000,000 working personnel from enterprises and public institutions strengthened their professional skills thanks to short-term RTVU training courses. Millions of learners are experiencing the happiness and satisfaction brought by lifelong education. All of the above prove that radio and TV universities are playing an increasingly important role in building a national lifelong education system and creating a learning society. In retrospect, the journey was difficult but most worthwhile.

We look forward to 2012, full of hope and undaunted by the challenges ahead.

In the new year, we will thoroughly implement scientific development concepts, strengthen system construction in accordance with national demands, tighten the integration of education with modern information technology, promote joint construction and ownership of quality educational resources and pave the way to develop a successful open university with Chinese characteristics. We will focus on improving the way we operate and the quality of our education, work towards the goals of facilitating lifelong learning for all and education equality, and channel our energy into building a successful open university in China. As we continue the smooth transition from a traditional radio and TV university to a comprehensive open university through scientific reform and innovation, we will perfect our regulations and systems step by step, and research new management systems and operational mechanisms.We will promote the development of an information-based education plan, construct cloud platforms of distance education, integrate quality education resources and promote the development of open education resources. We will fully promote reform and innovation in distance education, put learners and market demands first, reform course content and curricula, strive to develop non-degree continuing education and speed up the construction of a "credit bank".

Teachers, students and friends, we face new circumstances, new tasks, new opportunities and new challenges in this coming year. Let us join hands and seize the day with a fighting spirit, dedication and perseverance. Let us press on, blazing new trails and weathering the storms together to usher in a more brilliant and splendid phase in the development of the Open University of China!

Finally, I wish everybody a healthy and happy new year!

Yang Zhijian, President of the OUC

30 December 2011