Textbooks to tap on water safety

PETALING JAYA: Water safety will be included in next year’s Form Four Bahasa Malaysia (BM) textbook.

The textbook will also have QR codes that students can scan to access video, audio and photos to help them better understand the lesson, said textbook author Zanariah Abdol.

Zanariah, a special grade excellent teacher (Guru Cemerlang) from SM Sains Johor, said the objective was for students to know what to look out for before they enter the water.

“Often our kids jump in without thinking about things like water confidence, breathing skills, floating and treading water,” she said, adding that the topic of water safety was very relevant in keeping with the Education Ministry’s plan to include water safety and life-saving techniques in the school syllabus.

“It’s not meant to teach them swimming techniques. I’m only touching on basic water safety and swimming guidelines.

“We take it lightly but these are important for children to know,” she told Sunday Star.

Featuring the topic during BM lessons provides an alternative for students who do not have access to a pool, to learn about this life-skill, she said.

“I wanted to produce content that’s in line with the direction of the Education Ministry. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) agreed.”

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said the Life-Saving Skills Programme and Water Safety and Rescue Awareness Module for Malaysian Schools was recently introduced to instil discipline in students so that they follow safety procedures before taking part in any water activity.

Meanwhile, the National Water Activity Safety Council is identifying high-risk areas to put up signs to warn the public of the dangers.

Council member Assoc Prof Dr Tengku Fadilah Tengku Kamalden said it was also studying spots where drowning and near-drowning incidents occur to implement precautionary measures.

Prof Tengku Fadilah, from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Faculty of Educational Studies, said the council was preparing a comprehensive data set with statistics from all relevant authorities.

With better statistics, the government could make better policies, she said.

“A working committee with representatives from various ministries and government departments was appointed recently. Everyone from the Drainage and Irrigation Department to the Statistics Department, are involved.

“So, this year, we’ll see things moving.

“We’re also hoping water theme park operators can set up a small area to teach water safety to people,” she said.

In 2015, Sunday Star in its exclusive reported that a water safety council would be set up in light of the high number of drowning cases in the country.