More Than 10,000 Students To Embark On Swimsafer As Programme Rolls Out At All Public Pools

More Than 10,000 Students To Embark On Swimsafer As Programme Rolls Out At All Public Pools

National Water Safety Programme To Be Instructed At All Of SSC's 24 Swimming Complexes From 5 July

Singapore, 3 July 2010 - With the increase in popularity of water sports among youth in Singapore, parents can now be rest assured that their children will be better equipped with crucial water safety knowledge and water survival skills when the SwimSafer programme rolls out on 5 July 2010 at all of Singapore Sports Council's (SSC) 24 swimming complexes.

2. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), together with Dr Teo Ho Pin, Chairman of the National Water Safety Council (NWSC) and Mayor of North West Community Development District, and Mr Oon Jin Teik, CEO of SSC, officiated the roll out of the SwimSafer programme at the SSC's pools in a ceremony at the Geylang East Swimming Complex today.

3. The SwimSafer programme replaces the Learn-To-Swim Programme (LTSP) and the National Survival Swimming Award (NASSA) to be the only national water safety programme. SwimSafer came about when the NWSC called for a review of the existing national water safety programmes in July 2008, and it was then construed that a single national framework with an emphasis on drowning prevention was needed.

4. Since announcing the introduction of the SwimSafer programme in March 2010, the programme has seen a lot of interest from educational institutions and will see more than 10,000 students from 65 primary schools starting on the programme from 5 July onwards.

5. Commenting on the take-up for SwimSafer, Dr Teo Ho Pin said, "Every drowning case which takes place in Singapore is one too many. We are very encouraged that the take-up rate for the new programme has been superb since it was announced in March. Even before the start of the SwimSafer, more than 60 primary schools with 10,000 students have already enrolled for the programme. We expect more schools to come onboard next year. We will also partner grassroots organisations to encourage community involvement in the SwimSafer to promote active and safe participation in water sports."

6. Under the SwimSafer Instructor Course (SSIC), the SSC has successfully trained the SwimSafer syllabus to about 650 existing swim instructors under the National Registry of Coaches (NROC), between April and June 2010. This is to ensure that there will be a pool of ready swim instructors who are SwimSafer-certified to instruct students on the programme by the 5 July roll out.

7. "The SSC is happy to support the SwimSafer programme and is encouraged by the positive response from the public and our NROC registered instructors during the initial phase of implementation," said Mr Oon Jin Teik, CEO, SSC. "In 2009, we saw a record 12.9 million visits to our facilities, and we have upgraded the safety standards across all SSC operations. SwimSafer is the newest advancement of the SSC's holistic work in sports safety, It is critically important that our patrons and the community at large have a greater awareness of safe practices required for the water. SwimSafer will help make it possible for everyone to enjoy swimming and, at the same time, learn the required skills for survival and the swim techniques that will enhance and extend their joy of swimming. I urge more people to take up the SwimSafer programme and continue to enjoy swimming at our pools."

8. Veteran swim instructor and trainer for people with special needs, Danny Ong said, "Proper water safety and survival training is an extremely important and valuable skill that every individual should possess. SwimSafer gives everyone the opportunity, even those with special needs, to master this crucial life skill through a structured and thorough programme."