Swimming lessons for children are for life

Children should be equipped with skills to navigate water safely while authorities in charge of beaches and pools must be more proactive. — Filepic

In the midst of a heatwave sweeping across Malaysia, many families find relief in the cool waters of swimming pools, waterfalls, rivers and even seas.

But beware of the undercurrent of tragedy beneath the shimmering cool water.

The grim reality is that an average of 10 children aged below 14 have drowned each month in Malaysia from 2017 to 2021, according to data from the Fire and Rescue Department and the World Health Organisation.

The tragic statistics reveal that our young ones lack water safety awareness and swimming skills besides inadequate supervision.

It is crucial to remember that these incidents are not inevitable. They are largely preventable.

The Youth and Sports Ministry’s initiative to hold swimming classes for underprivileged children announced in March is commendable but only scratches the surface of what is needed.

It was reported that free swimming classes would be provided for B40 children aged between six and 12 in eight or nine flood-prone states.

This should be a springboard for a more comprehensive approach like making water safety and swimming skills available, perhaps mandatory, for all schoolchildren regardless of their socio-economic background.

Swimming and water safety lessons should be a universal right, and the targeted groups of children should be widened.

Perhaps the government should look into how swimming lessons can be made affordable for all, offering subsidies where necessary.

The lessons should be looked at as a sound investment in our children’s safety and should not be inhibited by financial constraints.

However, responsibility extends beyond the higher levels of government and the education sector.

Authorities, management committees and those in charge of public beaches and swimming pools must shoulder their share of the burden.

For example, they can be proactive to ensure that safety measures are in place like signage and safety equipment at targeted water bodies.

Management committees at properties with swimming pools can also play their part in mitigating the risks.

However, there is currently no provision under the law to mandate the hiring of lifeguards at pools and this oversight must be rectified.

Parents, too, are crucial in this multi- faceted strategy to prevent drowning.

As guardians, it is our duty to keep a constant watchful eye on our children, especially around water.

Yet, safety is not just about supervision and lifeguards. It’s about equipping our children with the knowledge to navigate safely in water.

Beyond just swimming, we need to instil in them the confidence to survive, like how to identify hazards and behave responsibly around large bodies of water.

These are not just lessons for the classroom or swimming pool but lessons for life.

The current statistics are a distress signal that we cannot afford to ignore, as it is a reflection on how we safeguard our children around water bodies.

It’s time to turn the tide on this troubling problem.