Ministry requests raising awareness of injury, drowning prevention

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Education and Training has called for more education campaigns to raise students’ awareness of injury and drowning prevention, following a number of drowning cases involving many children recently.

The ministry asked schools to work closely with families to teach their children about how to prevent injuries and drowning, add this content into the curricula and warn students against swimming in dangerous and unhygienic areas.

Schools are also urged to coordinate with local Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and relevant agencies to organise healthy and safe activities for children during summer break, as well as mobilize all possible resources to equip students with necessary protection skills.

Localities are required to place warning signs in dangerous areas.

Local Departments of Education and Training should coordinate with the Departments of Culture, Sport and Tourism to train gym teachers in swimming teaching skills, and encourage swimming training.

Accidental injuries among children are a pressing problem around the world, especially in Vietnam, where the rate of accidental injuries and deaths is among the highest in the world.

By 2020, the government wants at least 90 percent of children to use buoyancy aids while travelling on waterways, and public pools and beaches to have safety licences.-VNA