In recent days, when storms have made landfall in Vietnam, many provinces have been struggling with severe floods. The scene of students in low-lying areas going to school by boat, roads turned into rivers and news about children being swept away by heavy rain... makes the obsession about drowning accidents return. In that context, the Ministry of Education and Training's official issuance of a program and documents guiding safe swimming for students is considered a timely, humane and practical move.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam has an average of nearly 2,000 children and students who die from drowning each year. The reason is not only due to natural disasters, but largely due to lack of survival skills in the water environment. In rural areas, mountainous areas, rivers, streams, lakes are always close to life but have unpredictable potential dangers. In the city, reservoirs, residential areas, water parks, etc. can also become a "death trap" if children are not equipped with swimming and self-rescue skills.
For many years, swimming teaching in schools has not had unification in content and method. Each locality and school uses its own curriculum, focusing on swimming techniques without focusing on safe drowning prevention and rescue skills. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has approved the first safe swimming training program, implemented according to Decision No. 1717/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening education on knowledge and skills to prevent and combat drowning for students in the period of 2025-2035.
The program consists of 16 lessons, designed to suit each level of education. In primary school, students are introduced to the water, learn basic safety skills and how to indirectly save drowning. In secondary school, students are trained in physical strength, improve swimming skills and learn how to cope when seeing people in distress. In high school, students are instructed in self-rescue skills, first aid to drowning people and safe rescue. Each lesson lasts 60-90 minutes, depending on the weather conditions and physical condition of students, teachers are encouraged to apply flexibly to achieve the highest efficiency.
The implementation of swimming teaching programs in schools is not only a physical education activity, but also a measure to protect students' lives from extreme climate change. In just recent years, the situation of floods, landslides, and high tides has increased in many localities. Many schools have to temporarily close due to deep flooding, students have to go to school by boat or tractor. In that situation, knowing how to swim and survival skills in water becomes a "shield to survive" to help children protect themselves and support others when needed.
The inclusion of swimming as an official subject in the physical education program also needs to be considered. Because only when swimming is evaluated and periodically tested like other subjects, students will have motivation and the school will be responsible for fully implementing it. Along with that, the training of physical education teachers with safety swimming training certificates needs to be expanded to meet practical needs.
Looking back at the heartbreaking numbers of children who died from drowning, each swimming lesson, each life-saving skills training session has the meaning of saving people. In the context of natural disasters and increasingly severe floods, swimming in schools is no longer an optional choice, but a mandatory - urgent - life-threatening task.
Because more than anyone else, a swimming lesson today can save a life tomorrow.
