Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training will start the national pilot project to teach swimming at primary schools in the 2010-2011 school year.
"Swimming lessons for students especially at primary school level are urgently needed," said Huynh Cong Minh, the department's head.
"Teaching students swimming skills is a healthy activity that will reduce the incidence of drowning by half," he said.
According to a report by the Health Ministry's Department of Preventive Health, 7,000 children in Vietnam die from accidents each year. Half of those deaths are from drowning.
The department has cooperated with HCM City Confederation of Underwater Sport to implement the pilot project in the coming academic year that starts in September.
Chung Tan Phong, secretary general of the confederation, said another advantage of swimming lessons was the majority of primary students in the city enjoy them.
Under the project, swimming subjects will become compulsory at primary schools that have swimming pools.
For primary schools which don't have pools, they will cooperate with swimming clubs in their districts.
Phong said the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism should ask swimming pool owners to assist as much as possible and offer discounts for swimming classes.
The city People's Committee should ask districts to plan for more public pools and pools for schools that have land available, he said, adding there was not enough pools yet for all primary students to learn swimming.
People's committees in districts also should set up teams to check health and safety standards at the pools, where lessons would be held.
Moreover, they will carry out activities to raise families' awareness of the benefits of swimming lessons.
Minh said that the department would issue guidance documents to encourage primary, secondary and high schools to make swimming compulsory in future.
"Currently, swimming is optional at some schools in the city, but up until now there has been no teaching curricula for the subject," Phong said.
He said a new swimming curricula had already been written in preparation for the new school year./.
"Swimming lessons for students especially at primary school level are urgently needed," said Huynh Cong Minh, the department's head.
"Teaching students swimming skills is a healthy activity that will reduce the incidence of drowning by half," he said.
According to a report by the Health Ministry's Department of Preventive Health, 7,000 children in Vietnam die from accidents each year. Half of those deaths are from drowning.
The department has cooperated with HCM City Confederation of Underwater Sport to implement the pilot project in the coming academic year that starts in September.
Chung Tan Phong, secretary general of the confederation, said another advantage of swimming lessons was the majority of primary students in the city enjoy them.
Under the project, swimming subjects will become compulsory at primary schools that have swimming pools.
For primary schools which don't have pools, they will cooperate with swimming clubs in their districts.
Phong said the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism should ask swimming pool owners to assist as much as possible and offer discounts for swimming classes.
The city People's Committee should ask districts to plan for more public pools and pools for schools that have land available, he said, adding there was not enough pools yet for all primary students to learn swimming.
People's committees in districts also should set up teams to check health and safety standards at the pools, where lessons would be held.
Moreover, they will carry out activities to raise families' awareness of the benefits of swimming lessons.
Minh said that the department would issue guidance documents to encourage primary, secondary and high schools to make swimming compulsory in future.
"Currently, swimming is optional at some schools in the city, but up until now there has been no teaching curricula for the subject," Phong said.
He said a new swimming curricula had already been written in preparation for the new school year./.
