Shanghai's first exhibition for elderly learning highlights China's educational innovation

Two high-profile conferences were held at Shanghai Open University (SOU) during the exhibition period. The 2025 International Conference on Digital Lifelong Learning, co-hosted by SOU, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), and the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), drew over 200 experts and scholars from 37 countries, focusing on integrating aging society and digital education. Another forum on elderly education gathered presidents from over 300 elderly universities across China to explore pathways for the high-quality development of elderly education.

After visiting the exhibition, international experts spoke highly of China's practices in elderly education.

Brian Christopher Findsen, emeritus professor at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, noted, "Shanghai has transformed community canteens and coffee shops into 'mobile classrooms,' embedding elderly education into the 15-minute community life circle. This learning-as-life model provides a replicable example for aging societies worldwide."