As the first of its kind in China, the University for Older Adults of the Open University of China (OUC) is committed to, and has been successful at, promoting education for seniors.

Now the task of the OUC is to help set up the National University for Older Adults based on the requirements of the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Population Ageing in the New Era”, its responsibility of caring for an ageing population, and the enthusiasm of older adults for learning.

On 8 December 2021, Liu Chen, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the OUC and president of the OUC University for Older Adults, was invited onto the "Voice of the Elderly" programme by the China Media Group to speak on this issue.

In the interview, Liu Chen emphasised the role of the CPC Central Committee in promoting the new university, with education of older adults being enhanced in terms of resources and operations by being incorporated into the system of lifelong education.

He also stated that, since its establishment in 2015, the University for Older Adults has been remarkably successful in achieving its mandate, and this success has laid a solid foundation for establishing the National University for Older Adults.

In order to help build it, he said that the OUC will work in terms of system design, supply capacity, collaboration, research, integration of resources, and optimisation of the curriculum to incorporate both degree and non-degree education. It will establish a team that includes accomplished full- and part-time teachers with high political awareness and a passion for serving older adults, as well as a related think tank.

The OUC will also make use of the new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud computing and blockchain in which it has already invested to provide online resources and personalised and convenient services to older learners.

Liu Chen said that the new university aims to be optimal in all aspects of resources, pedagogy and management, helping seniors learn, make new friends, live healthy lives and serve society, integrating "health care and preservation, learning and travel, and exploring sustainable development of education for seniors.

The OUC will work to help the National University for Older Adults achieve these goals and become a leader within China's lifelong-education system, as well as an important centre of international

Reprinted by OUC News Network from China Media Group,