Govt orders schools, colleges to train students to swim to reduce deaths by drowning

The government has ordered all educational institutions to teach and train students to swim, in an effort to reduce deaths by drowning.

Authorities had been ordered to make water bodies suitable for swimming, said the education ministry in a circular issued on Wednesday.

The decision was finalised after a draft circular was released on the ministry’s website last month to gather opinions from all stakeholders.

A school with no pond will have to train students in the pond near the next school, the circular said.

The Education Engineering Department will ‘fix’ the water bodies. Upazila Executive Officers (UNOs) have been instructed to resolve if any issues surface.

Schools and colleges located in metropolitan cities, where there are scarce water bodies, will need to make use of the swimming pools at universities, the National Sports Complex or any other establishment, the ministry said.