OUT of the quarter of a million primary school students, how many can swim?
While there are many swimming programmes in and outside schools, there are no official figures of those who have learnt to swim.
The only number on record is the 11,000 from 55 schools which joined the Learn-To-Swim programme sponsored by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
The programme was introduced in January this year.
With the recent spate of drowning cases, the National Water Safety Council (NWSC) is renewing its call to encourage all Singaporeans to learn swimming and water safety measures.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, MP for Bukit Panjang and NWSC chairman, thinks the best way to promote swimming is through the schools.
In a press conference yesterday to announce the NWSC's water safety promotion plans, he said: 'I appeal to all the principals to make swimming part of their curriculum.
'I know they have packed timetables and many constraints, but this is one skill that will make a difference between life and death.'
He pointed out that more than 3,300 Singaporeans have drowned in the past 40 years.
The NWSC aims to prevent drowning, through water safety education (see other report) and improving safety of pools and water bodies.
Its initiatives include the Learn-To-Swim programme, which teaches basic swimming proficiency at a public swimming complex.
After nine hours of lessons, students go through a one-hour assessment to test their water confidence and ability to swim using any of the four recognised strokes.
If they pass the skills test, they are awarded a certificate.
The Learn-To-Swim programme is being rolled out to primary schools by the Ministry of Education (MOE), MCYS and the Singapore Sports Council.
So will swimming become a compulsory skill?
Ms Kok Lee Kwang, a deputy director in MOE's curriculum planning and development division, said MOE will let schools choose what is best for their students, based on the resources they have.
MANPOWER SHORTAGE
'Swimming is one of the six skill sets in physical education. The greatest obstacle to teaching swimming is manpower shortage.
'Imagine bringing 40 kids to the pool. Two teachers will be needed to supervise. For every 10 students, one instructor is needed,' said MsKok.
Also, in a school day, the only time suitable for swimming is between 8am and 10am because it gets too hot after that.
Swimming lessons after school are not feasible because parents don't want their young children to stay out too late. There are also transport arrangements to be made and availability of pools to consider.
Ms Kok said: 'It's not easy but MOE will work with MCYS and the Sports Council to help schools which want to implement swimming.
'Meanwhile, students who want to swim should not find it difficult because a recent survey of 110 primary schools showed that 95 of them, 86 per cent, already have some sort of swimming programme.'
She noted that many drownings involve people who can swim but who are ignorant of water safety.
'We value lives, that's why water safety is MOE's priority. Regardless of whether a student knows how to swim, they should know what to do and what not to do.
'Water safety is already part of the school curriculum and we do monitor how it's taught. Every student who goes through primary school should know things like checking depth of swimming pools before jumping in and the possibility of undercurrents in open waters,' said Ms Kok.
While it takes time to work out how to implement swimming in schools, Dr Teo urged the public to take personal responsibility for their own water safety now.
'Don't wait for others to do something. There are many places to learn swimming, water survival and life-saving.
'Complacency kills. Competency will help to minimise risks.'
