Page 96 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

76 OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATON IN ASIA
Good Practices from AAOU Members

total of 22 majors were offered in the undergraduate students were cultivated
fields of science and technology, arts, via correspondence education offered
economics, politics, and law. A total of by regular institutions of higher learning
1.65 million students had been enrolled and four independent correspondence
and 810,000 of them graduated. Annual colleges, with almost 2.5 million
degree education graduates accounted graduates from RTVUs across China.
for an average of 17 percent of the Graduates of both of these types
national total. of education accounted for 64% of
graduates from regular institutions of
Secondly, correspondence education higher learning, and 74.4% of graduates
was reconstructed. In September in adult education in China.1
1980, the State Council endorsed the
opinions submitted by the MoE with • Strategic Innovation Oriented to The
instructions supporting the restoration Information Era (1999-2009). At the
and reconstruction of correspondence beginning of the 21st century, to building
education, i.e., Opinions on Vigorously a lifelong education system and driving
Developing Correspondence Education the construction of a learning society,
in Universities and Evening Universities. the Chinese government decided
In February 1987, the National to implement a modern distance
Education Commission issued the education program to boost the reform
first regulatory document for China’s and innovation of RTVUs and regular
higher correspondence education, institutions of higher learning, and to
Interim Regulations on Correspondence develop open online education supported
Education in Regular Institutions of by two-way interactive satellite TV
Higher Learning, laying a foundation and computer network technology. In
for systematic, standardized, and January 1999, the State Council endorsed
institutional operation and the the Ministry of Education’s Action Plan
development of higher correspondence for Education Rejuvenation for the 21
st
education. By 1998, there were 635 Century (hereinafter referred to as
regular institutions of higher learning “action plan”) formulated in December
and four independent correspondence 1998, which clearly stated the need to
colleges offering higher correspondence “implement a modern distance education
education to around 896,000 registered project, to form an open education
students (Ding, 2000). network, and to build a lifelong learning
system.”
After 20 years of development, Radio
and TV education and correspondence A practical pilot scheme was adopted
education became important parts to implement the modern distance
of China’s higher education cause. By education project. From 1999 to 2003,
1998, 2.4 million junior college and the Ministry of Education had given

The Open University of China (OUC)