THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Close on the heels of flood fury across the state, the state government will include swimming classes in the school curriculum from primary level from next academic year. After the flood devastated many parts of the state, the demand to include swimming classes in the school curriculum has been strengthened.
The General Education department has already submitted a proposal to the Planning Board to allocate funds from the Plan Fund for the purpose. As part of proposal, the department will direct the schools to make cost-effective mini swimming pools at limited space.
General Education Secretary A Shahjahan said swimming should be part of the school curriculum from the primary level itself. It will be implemented with the support of local MLAs and school administrations.
“We had proposed the inclusion of swimming classes in curriculum when we submitted the report of ‘Public Education Rejuvenation Mission’ to Planning Board before the beginning of this academic year. We envisage a low-cost, low-depth swimming pool in all schools or to make use of some water bodies that would not cause any health issues for children. If schools are unable to construct a pool due to lack of space or water availability, we plan to club the nearby schools to use a common swimming pool. Similarly, the public can also use these facilities so that the pools can be maintained by accepting a small fee from them,” said Shahjahan.
At present, the government school at Mettukada in Thiruvananthapuram has a small pool with basic amenities. It is open to the public and it is being managed by the Fire and Rescue Services Department. The pool is well-maintained and gets a revenue by charging a meagre fee from the public. The government plans to expand this method to other schools in the state. At Nadakkavu in Kozhikode some schools, with swimming pool facilities, have already started classes for students in free and vacation time with the support from elected representatives, sources said. Shahjahan said support of local people is a must to materialise the project at the earliest. “We are positive about the initiative.It is expected to get a clarity before the next academic year,” he said.