On 15 March, 2019, Shandong Radio and TV University (RTVU) signed an agreement with Rizhao Agricultural, Marine Engineering, and Science and Technology Secondary Schools to cooperate on technical secondary-school education of rural grassroots cadres.

Xie Minghao, Party Committee member and vice president of Shandong RTVU, as well as president of the Shandong RTVU secondary school, and Zhao Deyu, deputy director of the Organisation Department of the Rizhao Municipal Committee and director of the Bureau of Veteran Cadres, attended the signing ceremony, while Wang Junce, head of Rizhao Radio and TV University (Rizhao RTVU), presided over it.

Before the ceremony, Liu Guowei, member of the Standing Committee of the Rizhao Municipal Committee, and director of the Organization Department, He Zian, secretary of the Party Committee of Rizhao Vocational and Technical College, and Xie Minghao held a panel discussion.

Zhao Deyu delivered a speech at the ceremony, pointing out that degree education is essential for training high-quality grassroots cadres, enhancing party construction at the grassroots level, and accelerating rural revitalisation. This cooperative programme is mainly aimed at current members of the village "two committees" under the age of 45 with at most a junior middle-school level of education. Rizhao, as the first prefecture-level city in the province to fully cover the degree education of rural grassroots cadres in technical secondary schools, will rely on the organisation departments of each district and the county party committees to guide teaching and student management. All the schools that have signed agreements with Shandong RTVU should give the degree education of grassroots cadres priority, provide full-time staff, coordinate the deployment of campus resources, and ensure that the degree education of the cadres in Rizhao progresses well.

In his speech, Xie Minghao, on behalf of the Party Committee and the university administration, thanked the Organisation Department of the Rizhao Municipal Party Committee for its support of the programme, and congratulated all parties on the signing. He also spoke of the school’s operations, faculty, achievements, strategy for supporting rural revitalisation, and construction and development in various aspects. He pointed out that this cooperation will be an important boost to rural revitalisation, bringing the direction of the Party to the strengthening of moral education and awareness of standards in cadres, with a focus on training local talent, promoting growth, strengthening planning and implementation, and optimising the curriculum. The training oriented toward rural revitalisation can be expected to help build a "Rizhao model" or even a "Shandong model" of such revitalisation to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of new China and the 40th anniversary of the provincial RTVU.

As the only university in Shandong province for older undergraduates, Shandong RTVU stays close to its roots in the province and cultivates talents who can be retained at the grassroots level. The development of this project will make use of the advantages of Shandong RTVU while supporting the revitalisation of rural areas in the province.

By Shandong RTVU