National defense education is a planned activity that exerts corresponding influence on citizens' morality, intelligence and physique according to the requirements of defending national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, resisting foreign subversion and aggression and safeguarding world peace. "National Defense Education Law" points out: "National defense education in schools is the basis of national defense education for the whole people and an important part of implementing quality education." [1] Colleges and universities shoulder the heavy responsibility of training senior professionals for the country. As a group with high scientific and cultural knowledge in China's population structure, college students are the future of the motherland and the hope of the nation. They are both builders and defenders of the motherland. Therefore, carrying out national defense education in colleges and universities is of great significance for comprehensively implementing quality education and cultivating high-quality talents needed by society.
I. National defense education
The so-called quality education refers to comprehensively implementing the party's educational policy, taking improving the quality of the people as the fundamental purpose, focusing on cultivating students' innovative spirit and practical ability, and cultivating socialist builders and successors with ideals, morality, culture and discipline. Quality education includes political quality education, moral quality education, scientific and cultural quality education, professional quality education, physical quality education and psychological quality education [2]. As can be seen from the above, quality and quality education is a complex concept with rich connotations. Theoretically speaking, the richness of its content fully embodies the characteristics of the times when talents need all-round development. From a practical point of view, the breadth of its content clearly expresses that the training and education of qualified talents is an arduous and complex social comprehensive education project, and every aspect and link of it is very important and necessary, and all elements are closely related, mutually influenced and restricted.
The so-called national defense education refers to the educational phenomenon in the field of national defense, that is, according to the purpose and requirements of defending national sovereignty, territory and security and resisting foreign aggression and subversion, all citizens are educated in moral, intellectual and physical aspects in an organized and planned way. Its essence is to cultivate "four new people" who build and defend the cause of socialist modernization. The contents of national defense education mainly include national defense theory education, patriotism education, national defense legal education, revolutionary heroism education, national defense knowledge education, military physical education and so on. National defense education is mainly reflected in three aspects. First, national defense education is a major event related to the life and death of the country and the rise and fall of national honor and disgrace. It can arouse strong psychological resonance among young students, thus inspiring strong patriotic enthusiasm. Therefore, national defense education is the most effective method of patriotism education, and it is also an effective way to cultivate students' ideological and moral quality. Second, national defense education is not only a process of teaching and training, but also a whole process of ideological and political education, psychological quality cultivation, style discipline cultivation and physical quality exercise. Therefore, it has comprehensive educational functions such as morality, intelligence, physique, beauty and labor. Third, because of the particularity of the implementation mode of national defense education, it is different from social practice in the general sense. Its influence on students' education is far-reaching and lifelong, which is irreplaceable by other courses in colleges and universities.
As can be seen from the above explanation, national defense education and quality education are inherently consistent and complementary, but there are also some differences, and they are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Quality education is a complex systematic project, which focuses on cultivating non-intellectual factors such as ideals, beliefs, perseverance, sentiment, character, discipline, spirit and life required by quality education. National defense education not only embodies these subject knowledge of quality education, but also is an important part of quality education. At the same time, it enriches and enriches the content of quality education, promotes quality education, and lays the foundation for comprehensively improving the comprehensive quality of college students.
Second, the role of national defense education in quality education for college students
(A) national defense education is conducive to enhancing the national defense concept of college students.
National defense is the synthesis of all national defense measures taken to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and ensure that national interests are not violated by foreign countries. National defense consciousness is a group behavior concept advocated and produced to meet the needs of national defense and marked by safeguarding the fundamental interests of the country. It is not only a powerful spiritual force, but also a huge material force, which is centripetal force and cohesion politically, combat effectiveness militarily and productivity economically. The strength of national defense consciousness has always been the main symbol of the rise and fall of a country and a nation. The concept of national defense is related to the survival of the country and the rise and fall of the nation. Many countries in the world attach great importance to national defense education, vigorously publicize the concept of "great national defense" and mobilize the whole people to invest in and care about national defense. Therefore, developing national defense education in colleges and universities and cultivating students' national defense consciousness are not only the ideological basis for safeguarding national security, but also the spiritual driving force for promoting national development and prosperity.
Since the reform and opening up in China, the economy has made great progress, and people's living standards have improved significantly. However, the sense of hardship is getting weaker and weaker, and the sense and concept of national defense are also weakened. Especially among young college students, it also accounts for a considerable proportion. They know little about China's security environment and situation. Western hostile forces' attempts to "westernize" and "divide" me have always been unclear. There is insufficient understanding of the destructive harm of terrorism, national separatism and extreme religion. Facing the new situation, we must keep a clear head, take national defense education seriously, and put national defense education in colleges and universities in an important position.
(B) National defense education is conducive to enhancing the national cohesion and centripetal force of college students.
National cohesion and centripetal force are the basic conditions for the prosperity and development of a country and a nation. Today, achieving a well-off society in an all-round way is the common goal of the people of all ethnic groups in China and the common pursuit of the Chinese nation with cohesion and centripetal force. National defense construction is not only an integral part of this goal, but also an important guarantee to achieve this goal. National defense education can further enhance people's patriotic belief, establish revolutionary heroism, collectivism, sense of mission and honor to the country and the nation, and the spirit of self-conscious struggle to defend national interests, thus further enhancing national cohesion and centripetal force. Since modern times, China has been repeatedly invaded by foreign enemies, poor and weak, and the society is like yellow sand. In addition to economic backwardness and political corruption, this is closely related to the lack of clear national defense awareness. Since the founding of New China, the advanced social system has been an important foundation for the Chinese nation to have strong cohesion and centripetal force. At the same time, the formation of national defense consciousness in modern society, which takes the development and security of the country and the nation as common interests, is also a spiritual force to consolidate national cohesion and centripetal force. National defense education in colleges and universities can enable students to put the common interests of the nation in the supreme position, unite the people of the whole country to jointly resist the threat of foreign aggression and subversion, and sacrifice personal or local interests for the common interests of the nation. Only in this way can we unite closely under the great banner of patriotism and give the Chinese nation indestructible great power.
Youth is the future of the motherland and the hope of the nation. This is especially true for young college students, who are the backbone of the nation. Strengthening national defense education for college students, especially patriotism education (the core of national defense education), can greatly stimulate young college students' national pride and patriotic enthusiasm. Encouraged and driven by young college students, we can unite the will and strength of the whole Chinese nation, and any difficulties can be overcome and overcome. For example, in May 1999, after the United States attacked our embassy in Yugoslavia with missiles, first of all, college students staged anti-American demonstrations and protests, which showed the strength of the Chinese nation.
(3) National defense education is conducive to improving college students' physical and mental quality and scientific and cultural quality.
The purpose of quality education is to promote the coordinated development of college students' ideological and moral quality, scientific and cultural quality and physical and mental quality, and guide them to study diligently, be brave in innovation and dedication, and become a new generation with ideals, morality, culture and discipline. National defense education in colleges and universities mainly focuses on theoretical teaching and military training. In teaching, because modern war is a local war under high-tech conditions, it is not only a contest of comprehensive national strength, but also a contest of scientific and technological strength. Military science is a comprehensive science with wide coverage and rich content, involving many disciplines such as natural science, social science and technical science. Military science education revolves around the high-tech war, teaching modern military high-tech knowledge, such as microelectronics, optoelectronics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, etc., which can increase college students' scientific and technological knowledge, make them understand the frontier of modern science and technology, understand the international situation, broaden their horizons, cultivate their sense of hardship and patriotism, and make them smart and patriotic. In military training, it is mainly to focus on a certain period of time to train college students in military skills such as queuing, shooting actual combat and physical fitness. The purpose is to let them feel the strict organizational discipline, resolute life style and fearless sense of hardship through personal experience, so as to cultivate their team consciousness and collective concept, exercise their strong physique, cultivate healthy psychological quality, form correct living habits and master basic military skills. In this way, through military theory study and military training, we can improve college students' psychological quality and scientific and cultural level, exercise their healthy physique, and enrich their personality cultivation, emotional awareness and moral quality.
(4) National defense education is conducive to cultivating national defense reserve talents and promoting national defense modernization.
China's national defense construction has always adhered to the road of combining a capable standing army with a strong reserve force, which is also the fundamental guiding ideology of China's national defense construction in the new period. As a special social group, college students have high scientific and cultural quality and are easy to master modern scientific and technological knowledge. Doing a good job in national defense education for this group will reserve a large number of high-quality national defense reserve forces with high scientific and cultural quality and certain military skills. Therefore, military theory teaching and necessary military training are carried out for college students, so as to provide high-tech military talents for the army when necessary, become the backbone of the expansion and formation of the wartime army, create conditions for winning future high-tech local wars, and provide a strong guarantee for national defense construction and military struggle preparation. Therefore, carrying out national defense education in colleges and universities is conducive to improving college students' national defense ability.
In the future, local wars under high-tech conditions will still adhere to the people's war. With the rapid development of science and technology and the extensive application of high technology in the military field, although to a certain extent, the traditional way of people's war is out of date. However, the concept of people's war cannot be lost. Under the new situation, the people's war still has its significance. In wars without smoke, such as information warfare and network warfare, folk technical groups will make great achievements. They can give full play to their intelligence and devote themselves to safeguarding national security. Then, our young college students, whether students or graduates, have their own specialties. If they have received a good national defense education in universities and entered the society, most of them will become the backbone of all walks of life. Their words and deeds will affect the people around them, and some will have a greater influence and role when they take up leadership positions. In peacetime, they are the backbone of national defense education. Once the war breaks out, they will become the vanguard of the people's war, mobilize and organize the masses to participate in the war, form a strong joint force, win the war, and lay a solid foundation for the future people's war under high-tech conditions.
Third, the basic ways of national defense education for college students
(1) Strengthen leadership and raise awareness of the importance of national defense education.
For a long time, colleges and universities have not fully understood the importance of national defense education. Some leaders and students narrowly believe that national defense education is only a matter of the army or military academies, and has nothing to do with ordinary colleges. This has caused the deviation or misunderstanding of national defense education. For example, the leaders of some colleges and universities regard military training as the whole content of national defense education for college students, and think that students receive national defense education after military training, and the national defense education of the school has completed its task and achieved its goal. Therefore, colleges and universities must strengthen the leadership of national defense education, change their concepts and improve their understanding of the importance of national defense education. It is clear that national defense education is an important content of quality education and an important way to train talents in colleges and universities. This requires that national defense education must adhere to the guidance of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and Theory of Three Represents, fully implement Scientific Outlook on Development, conscientiously implement the National Defense Education Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Deepening Education Reform and Promoting Quality Education in an All-round Way and other relevant documents and laws and regulations, improve the national defense education system, and clarify the tasks, objectives, ways and methods of national defense education.
(2) Vigorously publicize the national defense policy and enhance the national defense awareness of college students.
Market economy enhances college students' sense of autonomy and independence, but weakens their collective consciousness, national consciousness and spirit of unity and cooperation; Western democratic politics and decadent ideology and culture make some college students blindly worship, and national security and national concepts fade; Some college students are addicted to the internet, spiritually empty, morally bankrupt, lacking in faith, confused in values and so on. Due to these negative factors, some college students are confused about patriotism, national self-esteem and national security. Therefore, colleges and universities should strengthen the publicity and education of national defense laws and regulations through various forms such as "publicity day", "publicity week" and "publicity month", and through publicity panels, blackboard newspapers, school newspapers, campus radio and television programs, banners, warning signs and aphorisms, so that college students can fully understand China's national defense policy, the status quo of national defense education and the importance of national defense education, and enhance their sense of hardship. At the same time, we can enrich college students' national defense military knowledge, cultivate their patriotism, revolutionary optimism and revolutionary heroism, and encourage them to work hard for China's national defense construction by carrying out literary performances, speech contests, military reading activities, revolutionary history knowledge contests, national defense education essay contests, showing excellent military films, and holding lectures on national defense education theory.
(3) centering on patriotism education, standardizing and improving the content of national defense education.
At present, national defense education in colleges and universities mainly refers to the study and mastery of military theory courses and military skills related to the content of national defense education. Among them, military theory courses mainly include China's national defense, military thought, world military, military high technology, high-tech war, etc., which are taught to students through classroom teaching; Military skills are mainly mastered through military training, which includes queuing, shooting, tactics, military terrain, comprehensive training and so on. College students study military theory courses and participate in military skills training, with the aim of enabling them to master basic military theories and skills, enhance their awareness of national defense and national security, strengthen patriotism and collectivism, strengthen organizational discipline, promote the improvement of comprehensive quality, and lay a solid foundation for the China People's Liberation Army to train reserve soldiers and reserve officers.
In the new historical period, the content of national defense education should change from traditional education to mastering high-tech knowledge. The content of national defense education is determined by the tasks of national defense construction and preparation for military struggle. While continuing to popularize national defense knowledge and strengthen basic skills training, we should pay attention to the education of safeguarding national security and national interests, guide students to establish the concept of safeguarding national unity, and strengthen the awareness of anti-aggression and anti-separatism; Establish the concept of the supremacy of national interests, strengthen the spirit of patriotism, collectivism and revolutionary heroism, and more consciously fulfill national defense obligations; We should enhance our vigilance in safeguarding the country's political, economic, scientific and technological and information security, and make contributions to the country's reform, development and stability with practical actions.
(D) with the goal of educating people, actively carry out military training for college students.
Cultivating college students' military training skills is one of the main ways to carry out national defense education in most colleges and universities at present. Carrying out military training can improve college students' physical fitness, strengthen their physique, cultivate excellent team spirit and collectivism consciousness, cultivate their fearless, tenacious and hard-working style and fighting spirit, and make their physical and mental quality develop and improve in an all-round way. In addition, we can also carry out more military practical activities related to military skill training, such as simulating "war" (such as simple electronic countermeasures, command automation, psychological warfare, etc. According to the operational style of today's information warfare, let them feel the cruelty of war under the condition of "actual combat" and cultivate their consciousness of loving life, people and the motherland. You can also organize college students to visit military academies, national defense facilities and military drills, and even select college students with excellent training and wide interests to directly participate in actual combat drills in the army, so that they can experience the uniqueness of army life, realize the loftiness and greatness of the China People's Liberation Army and inspire their fighting spirit. In addition, some military skill competitions are held, such as queue training competition, quilt folding competition, physical fitness competition and military song chorus competition. There are also some rewards for good performance.
In the process of military training, colleges and universities should adhere to the goal of educating people, take military training as an important link to strengthen the construction of national defense reserve forces and cultivate high-quality talents, and bring it into the education and training plan of students during their college years, as an important link in talent training, quality education and the construction of school spirit and study style. Combine the ideological and political education of students with the excellent traditional education of the People's Liberation Army, combine the education of school spirit and discipline with the education of the rules and regulations of the People's Liberation Army, and combine the study of cultural knowledge with the study of military knowledge, so as to organize the first lesson of students' beautiful university life and form a good atmosphere for students' military training, which is based on educating people, training according to the outline, combining military and political education and combining education with training.
Strengthening national defense education with patriotism as the core is an important content of quality education. Colleges and universities should fully understand the significance of national defense education in cultivating national high-quality talents, earnestly strengthen leadership, improve the national defense education mechanism, actively carry out national defense education activities with rich contents and various forms, and make due contributions to building a harmonious society, realizing national prosperity and national rejuvenation.