Background and Objectives of the Initiative:

In order to implement the Decision of the State Council on Further Strengthening Rural Education, the Ministry of Education initiated the "One-College-Student-for-One-Village"  Initiative in February of 2004. Its aim is to extend higher education to rural areas through modern open and distance education, to cultivate "capable, retainable, and excellent" technical and management professionals who will become leaders for the development of the rural economy and agricultural production, for achieving rural prosperity through using science and technology, for the development of advanced rural culture, for providing qualified personnel for the construction of new rural communities, for increasing farmers' income, and for promoting the overall social and economic development in the rural areas.
The Open University of China (OUC) holds the responsibility to implement the project, through modern open and distance education, while relying on the national OUs system with teaching resources from nationwide relevant universities and colleges.

Target Group of the Initiative:

The "One-College-Student-for-One-Village"  Initiative (MOE) mainly enrolls young people in the rural areas with senior high school diploma or the equivalent education. Other people are also encouraged to participate, including military veterans, model households for applying agricultural science and technology, rural administrators, leaders of township or leading enterprises, and role models for achieving prosperity through science and technology. Graduates from junior high schools are also allowed to register for the courses.

Programmes Descriptions:

In curriculum, due attention is paid to setting up specialities especially needed for rural development. Sixteen programmes in four disciplines are established for this purpose. Seven programmes are in the agricultural technology category: Technology of Industrialized Agriculture, Seed Production & Operation, Horticultural Techniques, Crop Production Techniques, Tea Production & Processing Techniques, Cultivation Techniques of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Cultivation Techniques of Tobacco. Two programmes are in the forestry technology category: Forestry Technology, and Landscape Gardening Techniques. Three programmes are in the animal husbandry and veterinary sciences: Special Animal Breeding, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences, and Animal Husbandry. Four programmes are in the management of agriculture and forestry category: Rural Administrative Management, Rural Economic Management, Management of Township Enterprises, and Rural Information Management. These programmes are established with due importance paid to both the rural professional needs and the disciplinary features, reflecting the Initiative's features of higher vocational education.
A tailor-made teaching platform is established for the initiative in line with the open course philosophy. The course platform consists of nearly one hundred courses in the planting, cultivation, and management disciplines as the foundation of discipline construction. The courses are offered emphasizing the combination of non-degree education and practical technology education. The courses are managed in line with the course credit system.

Scale of the Initiative: 

• The Scope of the Initiative:
  So far, 38 provincial open universities in China and 580 subordinate tutorial centres have participated in the Initiative. 
• Numbers of the Students Enrolled:
  Enrollment: Over 150,000 students have enrolled between the fall of 2004 and the fall of 2008.
  Numbers of the Graduates: Over 30,000 students have graduated by the spring of 2008.
  Numbers of the Students currently on Campus: Over 110,000 students are studying on campus.

Mode of Teaching:

To meet the needs of distance learners in the rural areas, OUC has developed course packages to facilitate independent learning. These packages are delivered to the students through direct distribution. The contents of the course packages include study guides, course books, VCDs or compressed DVDs as multimedia learning guides, formative assessment booklets, course exam guides, and others.
The main modes of teaching include independent learning, instruction through TV and the computer network, face-to-face tutorial, personal tutoring, study groups, and other blended forms.
TV courses are broadcasted through the Satellite Channel of China Educational Television (CETV). Multimedia teaching resources are broadcasted through IP access of China Education Satellite Broadband Multimedia Transmission Network (CEBSAT). The distance education network especially set up for the Initiative is used to transmit online teaching resources and to carry out online teaching activities.
The county-level open universities serve as the basis for the implementation of the Initiative. They perform the teaching and administration responsibilities such as conducting teaching at pilot sites, providing learner support, enrolling and registering students, and managing students' record.

Effectiveness of the Initiative:

• The Initiative has produced a new generation of "capable, retainable, and excellent" college-educated farmers, with enhanced cultural and scientific understanding and broadened horizon. Many of them have become leaders in agricultural production and in developing the rural economy through science and technology, and have started to play an active role in the construction of new rural communities.
   
• The Initiative has provided easier access to higher education for farmers and disadvantaged groups in the rural villages. It has helped farmers to realise their dream of enjoying higher education at home. To a certain extent, it has reflected the philosophy of fair education for all, promoted social equity and progress, and facilitated the realization of social harmony.
   
• The action and the process of exploring the effective teaching mode, management mode, and the operating mechanism of the Initiative have furthered the educational reform of OUs in China. It has played a positive role in promoting China's construction of a learning society in the rural areas.