A University with Millions of Students

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A University with Millions of Students

FROM ESCAP HRD NEWSLETTER NO.9

Educational needs in China have been rapidly changing. Through distance education and open learning, educational authorities have been able to cope with the demand for new skills. On the occasion of ESCAP's recent launching of its database on the Network of Centres of Excellence for HRD Research and Training, we highlight one of the selected members of the Network in Shanghai, China, which has taken a lead role in providing people with new skills in a new way.

To get an idea of the enthusiasm of the Chinese population for new skills in this era of rapid economic development, one only has to look at the numbers of students of the Shanghai Television University (STVU). As one of the 44 radio and TV universities operating in China, the Shanghai TV University has attracted some 600,000 students taking part in its non-degree courses through public television last year, making it one of the biggest institutes for open learning in the world.

Over the past three years, some 1.3 million viewers in the Shanghai area alone audited its language and computer classes on TV. No less than 740,000 of them came to the university to sit for and pass an exam, giving them a diploma of direct benefit to their employment. In addition, some 10,000 students took the University's various higher degree courses (some 300 in total) at the pre-undergraduate and undergraduate level.

Some of the University's programmes have been integrated into the curriculum of conventional schools and colleges, whereas the evening programmes are mostly directed at the individual learner. STVU's weekly 100 hours of programming have to a large extent been used for training of trainers; every week, some 40 hours of programming are aimed at teachers, with the remaining 60 hours aimed at the learner directly.

The Shanghai TV University was established in 1960, and since its reopening in 1978, has been able to attract large numbers of students at low cost. STVU is under direct supervision of the Adult Education Commission of the local government. Structured like a "conventional" university, its five departments have over 900 teaching staff, some of them part-time. STVU also produces textbooks, audio-visual tapes and other materials to support the various courses. For some of the higher degree courses, STVU staff also provide face-to-face tutorials and telephone counseling. STVU's Open Education Research Institute, which serves as a strategic unit of the university, has also started developing CD-ROMs and computer-based learning programmes. Its first experimental computer-based distance learning course was launched this year.

As access to a TV set has become almost universal among the urban population of Shanghai, STVU has discontinued its radio programmes. Other distance learning institutes in China, particularly those operating in remote areas, continue to use radio as a medium. Shanghai's special status as a seaport with a high number of overseas visitors, investment and trade, has made the need for training in language and computer skills particularly important for the city.

Among STVU's kaleidoscope of regular educational programmes, some of the courses offered provide a clear indication of the changing path of China on the road to prosperity, and changing demographic circumstances. These programmes include a TV Series on Professional Ethics, a TV Course on the Theory and Practice of the Socialist Market Economy, training courses for International Finance and Accounting, and most recently, a series of televised educational progammes for the elderly. In the first series of programmes on health care issues for the elderly, some 270,000 older persons tuned in. The series will be continued and will include topics such as legal knowledge and legal rights of older persons.

As one of the largest institutes for open learning in the world, STVU has been able to enter into many agreements with overseas institutes. It has built cooperative agreements with institutes in Asia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

STVU is making its mark in China and in the region as an innovative and cost-effective deliverer of HRD services to the general population. In view of its exceptional performance, the Shanghai TV University was selected as a "centre of excellence" for HRD research and training in the ESCAP Network.

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ESCAP HRD NEWSLETTER NO. 9