At 8 a.m., more than 40 students aged 6-10 were present at Lusubu Water Park (Tan Trung hamlet, Phuoc Tan commune, Xuyen Moc district) to join a free swimming class jointly organized by the Xuyen Moc district Military Command, agencies, units, and the locality. Non-commissioned Senior Captain Pham Van Tung was the swimming teacher of the class and directly guided the children to warm up before swimming.
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Children practicing warm-up before swimming |
After the warm-up period, the children took turns getting into the water and starting the lesson with water breathing and kicking. Teacher Tung guided them through each step carefully and meticulously so that the children could easily understand and follow. Meanwhile, troops of the Xuyen Moc district Military Command and Phuoc Thuan Border Station instructed the children on basic movements, including getting familiar with water environment, practicing jumping into the water, breathing methods, common swimming techniques, and ways to handle cramps or dangerous and unexpected situations, to name but a few.
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Instructing children on kicking movements |
According to non-commissioned Senior Captain Pham Van Tung, the class takes place every morning from Monday to Friday. He and other troops focus on equipping children with basic swimming skills to ensure safety in water environment, and knowledge related to the causes, risks and ways to prevent drowning when swimming. In addition, they also instruct children on first aid in case of drowning.
With the enthusiasm and dedication of the soldiers, after seven to ten days of training, children can swim a few dozen meters on their own, know how to handle common situations, and ensure safety in water environment.
Along with opening free swimming classes for children, the Xuyen Moc district Military Command has directed the military commands of communes and townlets in the district to review and overcome the risk of drowning in families, schools, and public places; implement many activities to create a safe environment for children, particularly placing signs of deep water areas and fences around ponds; filling in water holes, making manhole covers; promoting dissemination about child drowning prevention and control on mass media, at schools, and among communities, and others.
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Children practice swimming with life jackets. |
Senior Colonel Nguyen Hoang Tan, Deputy Political Commissar of the provincial Military Command, emphasized that in the time to come, the command will continue to direct the military commands of districts, towns and cities across the province to multiply and effectively implement the model of free swimming teaching and; select troops with good swimming skills and teaching methods to organize safety swimming activities for children.
In order to attract more children, military agencies should collaborate with departments, sectors, organizations, and localities to gather children and give priority to children with difficult circumstances, thereby raising their awareness of drowning prevention, and minimizing the rate of child deaths caused by drowning in the province.
Translated by Quynh Oanh