Hoa Binh City - the political, economic and social hub of Hoa Binh province, one of the national energy centres, is a place for trade, connecting Hanoi capital with the Northwestern provinces of the country. Promoting that advantage, the City has been focusing on exploiting all potentials and strengths, constantly innovating, creating, and growing strongly, becoming a level-II city. In fact, the City's economic growth rate has always been maintained at a high level; urban infrastructure has been planned and developed sustainably, with synchronous connections; political security, social order and safety are stable, national defence and security are maintained; people's lives are constantly improved. To achieve that result, the City always focuses on improving the quality of national defence and security education with practical and appropriate solutions.

Thoroughly grasping the above directives and instructions, focusing on Directive No. 60-CT/TU, dated 3 July 2020 of the Standing Committee of the Hoa Binh Provincial Party Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership over national defence and security education in the province; instructions of the Provincial National Defence and Security Education Council, the City annually issues a system of documents and implementation instructions suitable to the characteristics of the situation, close to local practices, as a basis for all levels to implement synchronously and uniformly. In particular, the City focuses on improving the quality of training and updating national defence and security knowledge for all subjects; innovates methods and ways of propagating and disseminating national defence and security knowledge to all people. To achieve high efficiency, the City requires all levels, sectors and the entire political system to participate and properly perform their functions and tasks according to regulations; link the responsibility of the Party Committee and the head with the results of implementing this work of their agencies and localities. Along with that, regularly improve the National Defence and Security Education Council at all levels with sufficient quantity and correct composition according to regulations, especially in newly received, merged, and adjusted administrative boundaries localities; adjust and supplement the operating regulations in the direction of increasing decentralisation, empowerment, clarifying tasks and responsibilities, avoiding the manifestation of avoiding and "outsourcing" to military agencies. Strengthen inspection and re-inspection, promptly detect and overcome shortcomings and limitations; commend and replicate individuals and collectives who do well, constantly improve the quality and effectiveness of this work.

Meeting of Hoa Binh City Military Party Committee on leadership resolution

After expanding the administrative boundaries, the City owns an area of ​​348.6 square kilometres with a population of nearly 136,000 people, including 19 communes and wards, along with several agencies, enterprises, and training facilities of the Central and local levels, so the number of subjects in education and training is large, with diverse levels and professions. On the other hand, in the early years of the term, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, organising training and education encountered many difficulties (by the end of 2022, 50% of the target had not been reached). In order to successfully implement the Resolution of the 17th City Party Congress that is to complete the national defence and security knowledge training programme for 100% of subjects, the Military Command - Standing Agency of the City National Defence and Security Education Council presided over and coordinated with departments, branches, and localities to review and advise on increasing the opening of training classes at all levels. At the same time, continue to expand training for specific subjects (village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in the community).

Along with that, the City focuses on preparing and innovating content, programmes, organisation, and educational methods suitable for each subject. The National Defence and Security Education Council coordinates with departments, branches, and localities to closely review the number of subjects according to regulations; develop plans, classify, and arrange classes; prepare teachers and facilities. In particular, the City focuses on selecting instructors with in-depth knowledge of the fields to be directly responsible for teaching ideological orientation topics; requires instructors to research and prepare lectures and topics well, and have a firm grasp of the content; regularly draw feedbacks from members of the National Defence and Security Education Council and the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee to perfect the content and teaching methods. Regarding educational content, the City focuses on updating new information of the Central Resolution 8 (13^th tenure) on the Strategy for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation; supplementing supplementary topics that are close to the situation, building and developing the economy, culture, and society in conjunction with strengthening and consolidating national defence and security, building the City's defence zone, etc. Regarding methods, along with proactively reviewing, arranging, and creating favourable conditions for work and time for comrades in subjects 2 and 3 to participate in training classes organised by the higher authority, the City directs agencies and localities to base on the number and characteristics of the work of cadres in subject 4 and the expanded subjects to open concentrated training classes or in clusters of communes and wards; ensuring both good implementation of the plan and at the same time not affecting the work that the subjects are undertaking. Combining the main curriculum with integrating extracurricular and supplementary activities, such as visiting and practicing defence zones, economic and defence facilities, etc. With effective solutions, the City has 246 cadres in subjects 2 and 3; 2,037 cadres of subject 4 completed the national defence and security knowledge training programme, achieving 100% of the target during the term; organised the updating of national defence and security knowledge for thousands of subjects according to regulations.

Leader of Hoa Binh City Military Command speaks at the opening of a defence and security course held for level-4 learners

To improve the quality of national defence and security education for students, the City always focuses on building and standardising the teaching staff of educational institutions in the area. To overcome the situation where most teachers of national defence and security education at schools have only received short training (23 out of 28 teachers), the City Military Command presided over and coordinated with relevant departments and branches to develop plans, hold training courses, and improve teaching skills on difficult and specialised issues, such as: troop command, use of weapons and equipment, infantry combat techniques and organisation, military training methods; organise visits and study tours at military units, drills at all levels, etc. Thereby, improving the quality of the staff, teachers of national defence and security education, helping training institutions fully implement 100% of the content according to regulations. Directing schools to prioritise investment resources to renew, regularly upgrade facilities, teaching models, and ensure adequate facilities, equipment for teaching, and synchronised equipment. It is new in recent years that schools regularly organise for students to visit and study at military units stationed in the area; integrating education through military recruitment consulting activities, military service days, gratitude activities, etc. Thereby, equipping students with knowledge, fostering love for their homeland, country, revolutionary traditions, and national pride; training a sense of discipline; orienting and clearly defining the goals and ideals of youth, being ready to perform military service to protect the Fatherland and actively participating in local defence and security activities. With such effective methods, the work of national defence and security education for students in the City has clearly changed. From 2021 to now, the subject test results have been 100% satisfactory, over 75% good and excellent. In 2022, participating in the National Defence and Security Education Sports Festival, the City won the First prize in the team disassembly and assembly of AK submachine guns for grade 11, the Third prize in the individual AK submachine gun shooting, etc.

Faced with the increasingly high demands of the task of building and protecting the Fatherland, the City focuses on improving the quality of propaganda work, disseminating national defence and security knowledge to all people, in order to realise the Party and State's guidelines and policies into the awareness and voluntary actions of each citizen. Closely following the direction and guidance of the superiors and the local reality, the City directs the National Defence and Security Education Council to coordinate with functional departments and branches to develop plans, select content, post periodic weekly and monthly propaganda on the mass media of the city, communes and wards at appropriate time frames (5:30 am and 4:30 pm); increase propaganda on internet pages, social networking groups Zalo, Facebook, ... of agencies, departments, branches, unions and localities so that people can access information quickly, easily and effectively. Propaganda content focuses on the Law on Military Service, the Law on Militia and Self-Defence Forces, the Law on Civil Defence; clearly expose the plots and sabotage of hostile forces; strengthen education on patriotism, national pride; position, achievements, opportunities and challenges when the country enters a new era; commend good people, good deeds, etc. To achieve high efficiency, the City focuses on building, nurturing and promoting the role of a team of instructors and propagandists, especially village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in the community through talks, meetings, traditional festivals, military service days or major holidays and anniversaries of the country and locality. Moreover, the City directs Party committees, authorities at all levels, organisations and armed forces to regularly follow and grasp the aspirations of the people, promptly resolve problems at the grassroots level. Implement policy work through target programmes and models, such as: joining hands to build new rural areas; eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses; “Cultural, defence and security villages and hamlets”, “Combat projects of the Party’s will and the people’s hearts”, “Community propaganda teams”, etc.; thereby, building trust and creating consensus among the people with local and grassroots Party committees and authorities.

With drastic and synchronous solutions, the national defence and security education work of Hoa Binh city has achieved multiple positive results, highly appreciated by the Provincial National Defence and Security Education Council and Military Region 3. This is an important basis and premise for the City to continue promoting and improving the quality of this important work, contributing to maintaining political security, order and social safety, creating favourable conditions for rapid and sustainable economic, cultural and social development.

Lieutenant Colonel VO THANH CONG, Commander of the City Military Command, Vice Chairman of the City National Defence and Security Education Council