During the winter vacation, students from several primary and secondary schools in Xianyou County, Fujian Province, benefited greatly from participating in off campus national defense education activities, such as experiencing company life in the stationed troops and visiting red education sites to receive revolutionary traditional education. It is reported that this is a welcome change brought about by the establishment of a national defense education extracurricular counselor team in the county. We have assigned one off campus counselor for national defense education to each of the 32 primary and secondary schools in the county, with a term of two years, to make national defense education in schools more solid and active The staff of the Propaganda Department of Xianyou County Committee introduced that the establishment of the team of off campus counselors is closely related to the newly revised National Defense Education Law, which will be implemented from September 2024. The National Defense Education Law is the fundamental guideline for organizing and conducting national defense education. School national defense education is the foundation of national defense education for all and an important part of implementing quality education, "said the relevant person in charge of Xianyou County Education Bureau. The National Defense Education Law puts forward clear requirements for school national defense education, such as stipulating that primary and junior high schools should incorporate national defense education into relevant courses, combine classroom teaching with extracurricular activities, so that primary school students have a certain level of national defense awareness, and junior high school students can master preliminary national defense knowledge and skills. This requires schools to have more professional and fixed teachers to teach national defense education courses to students. There is a demand for national defense education in schools, and the County Party Committee Propaganda Department, County Education Bureau, and County People's Armed Forces Department are actively exploring ways to meet the demand. School national defense education should be combined with military service propaganda and education, enhance students' awareness of serving in the military according to the law, and create a good atmosphere of glorious military service. "The Minister of People's Armed Forces of Xianyou County told me that the addition of this content to the National Defense Education Law is eye-catching: a group of personnel with high theoretical literacy and strong military skills can be selected from the specialized military cadre team to serve as off campus counselors for primary and secondary schools, assisting schools in carrying out various forms of national defense education activities. Leave one child and live the whole life. Specialized military cadres serving as off campus counselors not only effectively solve the problem of a shortage of national defense education teachers in primary and secondary schools, but also extend the reach of conscription work and expand the coverage of military service propaganda and education, which is conducive to sowing the seeds of love for national defense and serving the country in the hearts of young people. Laws have regulations, actions have power. "The Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force shall, as required and in accordance with relevant regulations, appoint military instructors for organized national defense education activities, and provide necessary military training sites, facilities, equipment and other convenient conditions." This clear requirement of the National Defense Education Law provides a practical path for garrison forces to assist in national defense education and participate in the building of mutual support. According to the political commissar of the County People's Armed Forces Department, the enthusiasm of the troops stationed in Xianyou to assist in the national defense education of the Second Hometown School is high. At first, three candidates were recommended, but later they voluntarily increased to six. The candidates recommended by the stationed troops, along with 18 specialized military cadres recommended by the People's Armed Forces Department, participated in the centralized training led by the County Party Committee Propaganda Department. National defense education has a certain degree of professionalism, and off campus counselors for national defense education must receive training before taking up their posts, "said Huang Chaoyang, Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the County Party Committee. Together with the leaders of the County People's Armed Forces Department, they carefully revise and strictly control every teaching outline to ensure that every class has strong ideological pertinence. During the 2024 National Defense Education Day, 24 external counselors generally gave the first national defense education class to teachers and students in their respective schools. The effect is particularly good, "said the person in charge of Xianyou County Experimental Primary School. External counselor Su Chaoyang not only explains national defense theory, but also sets up interactive games, and students compete to participate. Like experimental primary schools, teachers and students from many schools in Xianyou County are deeply impressed by the teaching of off campus counselors. We guide off campus counselors in lesson preparation and teaching according to the requirement of 'less but more refined' Chen Fengjin, a staff member of the County Party Committee Propaganda Department, said that each off campus counselor mainly teaches 2 classes for their school throughout the year, one class is arranged during the National Security Education Day, and the other class is arranged during the National Defense Education Day. This will not increase the academic burden on primary and secondary school students, and will enable off campus counselors to do their best without affecting their job responsibilities. Usually, they require external counselors to maintain regular contact with the school, seize opportunities to carry out activities such as visiting and marching into camps, so that students can learn national defense knowledge and enhance their national defense awareness unconsciously. At the beginning, considering the heavy workload of high school students, the county did not set up external counselors for national defense education in high schools. Later, some high schools took the initiative to offer more national defense education courses, "which can not only enhance students' comprehensive quality, but also stimulate the patriotism of students who aspire to join the army," said the leaders of these high schools. (New Society)