At the launching ceremony (Photo: SGGP)

Speaking at the ceremony , Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that Vietnam strives to reduce 6 percent of drowning mortality rate by 2020 compared to 2015 and 40 percent of primary and secondary schoolers ought to know swimming skills.

He assigned relevant ministries, agencies and local governments to carry out drowning prevention program to lower the drowning mortality rate.

In the two academic years 2017 and 2018, the culture, sports and tourism industry has organized nearly 2,000 fresh courses for 50,000 swimming teachers and rescuers in communes, schools and swimming pools, water entertainment parks. Additionally, it has also held nearly 37,000 swimming classes for 3,7 million children countrywide.

So far, the program has been carried out at 701 communes and town and in 735 schools.

By 2018, the rate of children learning to swim was around 35 percent and the rate of drowning children has shrunk from 3,000 to below 2,000 in 2017 and 2018.

At the ceremony, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Nguyen Ngoc THien called for the contributions of enterprises and individuals in building swimming pools and people should learn to swim to keep fit. SGGP

Uyen Phuong