The Ministry of Education and Training responded to the petition of Nghe An voters about bringing swimming into schools.

Nghe An voters requested the Ministry of Education and Training to research and develop a plan to teach swimming to children in schools and to add swimming to the official curriculum from primary school to overcome the tragic drowning situation in children, and to build swimming pools in schools or in each locality.

Reply:

Faced with the situation of drowning accidents among students, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has promptly issued many documents directing the prevention of drowning among children and students, and encouraging swimming teaching in educational institutions.

Pursuant to Decision No. 1248/QD-TTg dated July 19, 2021 of the Prime Minister approving the Child Injury Prevention Program for the period 2021-2030, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Decision No. 4501/QD-BGDDT dated November 29, 2021 on implementing the Child Injury Prevention Program for the period 2021-2025, focusing on directing and implementing many intervention solutions to prevent drowning in children and students.

The policy of teaching swimming in schools has been launched by the Nghe An Education Department for many years. However, due to limited funding, implementation has encountered many difficulties. Photo: My Ha

The Ministry has issued annual implementation plans and directives to strengthen drowning prevention during summer and school holidays, and dispatches on strengthening drowning prevention for children and students; approved educational documents guiding drowning prevention for students and communication documents on drowning prevention for children and students in schools (instruction clips on knowledge and skills to prevent drowning; leaflets, cartoons, propaganda songs, etc.); digitized and posted on the Ministry of Education and Training's electronic information portal and instructed educational institutions to exploit and use propaganda for students in schools.

The Ministry of Education and Training also held a launching ceremony.gSafe swimming movement, drowning prevention and the 2022 National High School Swimming Competition; organize core training to improve capacity for staff and teachers on drowning prevention for children and students.

Nghi Loc 2 High School is the first public school in Nghe An province to pioneer the introduction of a swimming pool into the school. Photo: My Ha

In the Physical Education program, swimming is a core subject taught as an elective sport at the basic education stage (primary and secondary school levels) and as a club at the career orientation stage (high school level).

However, to organize swimming lessons in schools, one of the prerequisites is to have a swimming pool, while not all schools can meet the requirement immediately, so there needs to be a roadmap to introduce swimming into teaching at the right time and in accordance with regional characteristics.

In the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training will continue to advise the Government and the Prime Minister to direct localities to pay attention to investing in facilities so that swimming can be taught in schools.