Are all children obliged to obtain their swimming diploma C? | Join the conversation

The water suddenly gets colder, deeper, or even worse: you suddenly get a wave that surprises you. Most people know that the sea is not a swimming pool, do people actually take the unpredictability of the sea into account? Koen Breedveld, director of Rescue Brigade Netherlands, has his doubts about this. He says it takes very little to drown, especially for people who don’t come from the swimming culture. “They see someone jumping into the water and think: I can do that too!”, he tells De Telegraaf. He therefore wants swimming to become safer. People must become more aware of the dangers, safer swimming locations must be created and swimming lessons deserve more attention, he believes.

Numbers

According to the Mulier Institute, almost all Dutch children aged 11 to 16 have a swimming diploma. 97 percent have an A diploma, 78 percent have an A and a B diploma and a third also have a C diploma. Many children drop out after their B diploma, while obtaining a C diploma only takes two to three months longer.

Mandatory C diploma

Almost all parents – 94 percent – send their child to swimming lessons, the remaining 6 percent cannot or do not want to. According to Breedveld, the latter can already lead to unsafe situations. “Just an A diploma is not enough and to also obtain B and C, a lot of lessons are needed. Too many children drop out early: only one in three obtains a C diploma. The topic often sparks debate. After all, whose responsibility is it that children learn to swim? In 2005 it was decided that these were not the schools and the government, but the parents.”

Response

Twitterer Porcupine seems to see the need for more swimming diplomas. Also to support the lifeguards.

Bram wonders whether such a C diploma is really necessary.

Join the conversation

What do you think? Should all parents require their child to obtain the C diploma? Or do you think A and/or B are sufficient? Join the conversation on our Facebook page!

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