26,000 Victorian kids finish Year 6 with water safety certificates
Victoria’s compulsory school swimming lessons program is starting to take off, with a third of kids finishing Year 6 last year with their water safety certificate.
VIC News
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A third of kids finished primary school last year with water safety certificates to say they could swim 50 metres.
The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal 26,000 Year 6 students completed the compulsory swimming program, four times more than in 2018.
While more than 50,000 students did not receive a water safety certificate, more than 98 per cent of government schools had offered swimming programs last year.
It is understood bureaucratic issues meant some children were able to swim 50 metres and complete water safety drills but had not received their certificates.
The compulsory swimming program was included in the school curriculum in 2016 after a Herald Sun campaign to help prevent children drowning.
Low numbers of certificates being issued prompted the state government to rollout a team of swimming co-ordinators last year to help schools offer swimming lessons.
Life Saving Victoria chief Nigel Taylor said he was pleased with the increase in certificates being awarded, as schools and pools committed to the program.
“Providing children with swimming capabilities and water safety knowledge is a high priority for Life Saving Victoria,” he said.
“Accessing the school system to enable this activity ensures all Victorian students will have the opportunity to acquire these skills for life.”
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Education Minister James Merlino said Victoria was “leading the nation” on teaching kids to swim.
“These latest figures show our increased investment is paying off,” he said.
“Swimming is a skill that saves lives, and that is why we want Victorian children know how to swim and stay safe in the water before they finish primary school.”
After the deadliest summer at the state’s waterways on record last year, authorities have launched a TAC-style ad campaign to keep Victorians safe around water this summer.
Surveillance drones have also been used to monitor conditions along the coast and at popular inland waterways.