“The outer ring of the national character represents ‘the mouth,’ signifying the territory; within it lies ‘the spear,’ symbolizing military preparedness. Overall, the national character represents the use of force to safeguard the territory… Recently, leaders from the Yanling County People’s Armed Forces Department in Hunan Province taught a course on national defense education at Furong Primary School, with students from all over the county participating in the class simultaneously through ‘cloud classrooms.’”

The lectures focused on basic knowledge of national defense, achievements in strengthening the military, and the transmission of revolutionary heritage. “I used to think that national defense was far away from us. Now I understand that it is closely connected to everyone.” Guo Xinjie, a student in the ninth grade of Longza School in Zhongcun Yao Township, Yanling County, said that this class had taught her about the performance of the J-20 fighter jet and the citizens’ obligations in terms of national defense.

The launch of the “Cloud Classroom” for national defense education is tailored to the specific circumstances of Zhuzhou City. Yanling County and Chaling County are located on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, situated in the vicinity of the Luo Yao Mountains. Elementary and secondary schools are scattered throughout the area, with the farthest teaching site being nearly two hours away from the county seat. “When we go to the farthest township school to give a lecture, it takes several hours to get there and back, so we can’t visit many schools in a single semester,” a leader from the Chaling County People’s Armed Forces Department candidly stated. Most elementary and secondary schools in regions such as Liuling City, Youxian County, Lugou District, Hetang District, and others are located in rural or rural-urban areas, with limited educational facilities. The national defense education workforce is weak, and relevant courses are scarce.

National defense education for all, “not one person left behind.” In response to the current situation, the Zhuzhou Military District, in collaboration with the propaganda and education departments, conducted in-depth research and reached a consensus on conducting cloud-based classes in primary and secondary schools, thereby breaking geographical barriers and sharing educational resources. Online teaching is essential for improving teaching conditions. To address issues such as weak network signals, outdated equipment, and insufficient teaching terminals in some schools, the telecommunications department helped optimize campus networks, upgrade broadband speeds, and prepare for the launch of “cloud classrooms.”

Delivering good lectures is crucial. The Military and Civilian Affairs Bureau of Zhuzhou City has established a pool of defense education lecturers, with county (district) People’s Armed Forces Department leaders, township specialized armed forces cadres, and outstanding retired military personnel serving as the core, supplemented by external experts and students from military academies.

On March 22, Pang Wei, a veteran, lectured at Xitang Primary School in Shifeng District on firearms knowledge, battlefield camouflage, and basic emergency survival skills. Over a thousand students attended the lecture “in the cloud”; on May 29, the Tianyuan District Military Affairs Department invited the “Gaodi Xinhuo” Master and Ph.D. Lecture Group from the National University of Defense Technology to deliver a lecture on the spirit of the Long March at Tianyuan Middle School. All 43 primary and secondary schools in the district participated in the learning session simultaneously… Since the beginning of the year, Zhuzhou City has gradually established an online defense education teaching system featuring centralized lecturing, cloud-based transmission, and universal learning, bringing courses to every classroom in schools in remote areas.

It is reported that “Cloud Classroom” employs a combination of regular lectures and node-based lectures to ensure that “the semester is planned, important milestones have special topics, and there is a theme every month.” At the start of each semester, the defense education campaign is launched in the form of “the first lesson of the semester”; special lectures are conducted during important milestones such as August 1st, the Founding of the PLA Day, and Martyrs’ Memorial Day; and a regular lecture is scheduled every month to keep the defense education campaign “ongoing.” (Looking into the New Era)