Expanding opportunities for children to learn to swim.

Initial effectiveness

Amidst the scorching early summer heat, the mobile swimming pool at Thanh Son Primary School in Thanh Binh Tho commune has become a familiar destination for many students in the area. For many of the children here, this is the first time they have learned to swim properly right in their local community. Just a few years ago, learning to swim was still a difficult thing for many students here.

Wanting their children to be equipped with water safety skills, many parents have to take them to the district center to attend commercial swimming classes. The long distance, travel costs, and time spent commuting make it difficult for many families, despite recognizing the importance of learning to swim, to consistently enroll their children in classes.

Therefore, when localities receive investment support for swimming pools from Resolution No. 09/2023/NQ-HĐND, the change is not only reflected in the appearance of an additional sports facility in the schoolyard. What people feel more strongly is that the opportunity to learn swimming skills has been brought closer to children right where they live.

Ms. Phan Thi Thao, from Thanh Binh Tho commune, has two children in grades 4 and 6. She said that in previous years, her family had to take the children to swimming lessons far away, despite the hardship. “The risk of drowning is now a serious concern, so no matter how difficult it is, we have to try our best to send our children to swimming lessons. Since the commune has a swimming pool, parents are very happy because the children can learn right near home, which is much more convenient,” she shared.

That joy is also what the local authorities hoped for when they started implementing the policy. According to Mr. Le Quang Thanh, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Thanh Binh Tho commune, this area has many ponds, lakes, and streams, and is frequently affected by flooding, so the risk of drowning for children is always present.

Having a swimming pool in the local area not only provides more recreational space for students during the summer but, more importantly, equips them with essential water safety skills, which are crucial in high-risk areas like Thanh Binh Tho. While previously, learning to swim depended primarily on family finances or access to swimming facilities, this opportunity is now expanding to more children, especially those in rural and mountainous areas.

According to Mr. Le Van Lam, a former official of the Culture and Information Department of the former Anh Son district, when implementing Resolution 09 of the Provincial People's Council, eight communes in the district registered to install swimming pools. Among them, some communes still maintain operation today, such as Tho Thanh (now Thanh Binh Tho), Tuong Son (now Vinh Tuong commune), etc. Mr. Lam affirmed that the policy of supporting swimming pools for localities to enhance skills for students and children is very practical and has been positively received by the people. It is regrettable that other communes at that time, for various reasons, were unable to implement the program.

In the former Ky Son district, where the terrain is fragmented by high mountains and streams, and economic conditions are still challenging, organizing systematic swimming lessons for students has been a long-standing desire of the local education and training sector, but it could not be widely implemented due to a lack of facilities. Therefore, when the resolution was issued, the district proactively provided matching funds to install 16 swimming pools in schools throughout the area.

According to Mr. Pham Viet Phuc, former Head of the Education and Training Department of Ky Son district, the selection of installation locations prioritized schools with a large number of students, ensuring long-term and effective operation. After more than two years of use, many swimming pools have performed well, becoming familiar places for students to learn and train during the summer.

Among them, Chiêu Lưu 1 Ethnic Boarding Primary School is a prime example. With over 400 students, including more than 120 boarding students, the swimming pool is not only a place to teach swimming skills but has also become an integral part of the school's daily life. According to Mr. Đào Công Quang, the school's principal, from the very first year of operation, all boarding students have learned to swim. Many students only needed a few days to get used to the water before they could perform basic skills.

For children growing up in mountainous areas with numerous streams and frequently facing storms, flash floods, and landslides, knowing how to swim means far more than just a sport. It's a skill that helps them protect themselves from potential risks in daily life. From that perspective, the swimming pools invested in under this resolution are not simply facilities for physical activity, but also a solution for preventing drowning accidents early on, at the grassroots level.

Bottlenecks arising from practice

However, behind the positive results at the grassroots level, the implementation of the resolution has also revealed difficulties and obstacles that have prevented the goal of universal swimming for children from spreading evenly throughout the province. According to Mr. Vu Van Nam, Deputy Head of the Sports Management Department, Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Resolution No. 09 is considered a correct policy, creating an important impetus for the movement of teaching and learning swimming at the grassroots level. However, the actual implementation results have not met expectations, as in 2024, out of 99 units that received funding from the Provincial People's Committee, only over 60 units invested in installing swimming pools; in 2025, this number further decreased to 49 units.

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Besides the initial positive results, the most difficult challenge remains the ability of local authorities to secure the necessary resources. In addition to matching funds, localities must also proactively secure land, water supply and drainage systems, and other supporting facilities to ensure the swimming pool operates effectively. Mobilizing social resources to sustain operations after investment is also challenging, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Mr. Vu Van Nam, Deputy Head of the Sports Management Department, Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Furthermore, the implementation of the two-tiered government model in 2025 has had a certain impact on the procurement and installation of swimming pools. Because the funding is allocated through the district level before being transferred to the communes that register for implementation, disbursement in some areas has been delayed, causing delays. As a result, some localities, despite needing and being eligible for the policy, have been unable to implement the project within the planned timeframe.

These difficulties arose not only during the investment phase but also persisted throughout the operation. In the former Ky Son district, after the swimming pools were put into use, many schools began to face practical challenges. In some highland communes, access to clean water was already scarce, especially during the hot season. Schools had to utilize water from streams or other natural sources to operate the pools, while also regularly treating sediment and disinfecting them to ensure student safety.

According to teacher Dao Cong Quang, the amount of water needed to operate a swimming pool is quite large, resulting in significant costs for electricity, water, and treatment chemicals. Meanwhile, current support mainly focuses on initial investment. This forces schools, especially in mountainous areas, to balance their own budgets to maintain regular operations. Therefore, although the school very much wants to maintain the swimming pool's operation, it needs more support in terms of policy, coordination with the government, and flexible utilization of resources.

In Thanh Binh Tho commune, another problem is emerging. With the opening of the swimming pool and the increasing demand for swimming lessons among students, pressure on teaching staff is starting to appear. According to Ms. Le Thi Quy, Deputy Principal of Thanh Binh Tho Primary School, the number of students registering for swimming lessons each summer always exceeds the capacity of the existing teaching staff. Meanwhile, organizing swimming lessons requires not only professionally trained teachers but also support, supervision, and rescue personnel to ensure the absolute safety of the students.

According to Mr. Hoang Van Hai, who directly teaches swimming classes at Thanh Binh Tho, each course lasts 15-20 sessions with about 80 students, divided into several different classes. Although students contribute a portion of the revenue, this is not enough to cover the costs of repairs, cleaning, water filtration, and water treatment chemicals.

“The actual wages aren't much, while teachers have to spend almost the whole day at the swimming pool instructing the children. However, we still try our best because we want more students to be equipped with swimming skills and learn how to prevent drowning,” Mr. Hai shared. According to Mr. Hai, to maintain and expand swimming classes in the future, support from policies is essential, especially regarding operating costs and teacher training.

After more than two years of implementation, Resolution No. 09/2023/NQ-HĐND has shown practical effectiveness in expanding opportunities for children to learn to swim and equip them with water safety skills. Based on these results and the difficulties arising from practice, further research to refine the policy will be crucial for achieving the goal of reducing child drowning in a more profound and sustainable way.