Africa-Press – Mauritius. A total of 25 women and 15 men aspiring to become swimming teachers, who have successfully completed the internationally recognised AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety course, received their certificates, today, during an official award ceremony held at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex. The course was fully funded by the Australian Government through the Australian High Commission’s Alumni COVID Recovery Grants programme 2021.
The spouse of the Prime Minister, Mrs Kobita Jugnauth, the Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, the Australian High Commissioner to Mauritius, Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy, and the Chairperson of the Mauritius Sports Council (MSC), Mrs Sarah Rawat-Currimjee, were present at the award ceremony.
In her address, Mrs Jugnauth, who was the Chief Guest at the event, stressed on the importance for young children to learn to swim. She highlighted that swimming is first and foremost a lifesaving skill that allows a child to stay safe in and around water and has endless benefits.
According to her, it is important for any parent to enrol his/her child in swimming lessons as early as possible. She underlined that it is however worrying to note that quite a number of Mauritians cannot swim and are thus not able to take full advantage of water bodies such as oceans and swimming pools.
This issue, she stated, had to be urgently addressed and, with the launch of the National Sports and Physical Activity Policy in 2018 which has been integrated in the primary school curriculum, formal instructions in swimming can now start at a young age for all children.
Primary education is now more balanced and is in line with best practices, she added. Furthermore, she commended the Australian Government for its support and full funding for the course’s implementation. This project, she pointed out, will increase the quality of swimming lessons designed to be taught in the context of the Natation scolaire programme.
She also expressed satisfaction that, through the efforts of the MSC, the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, as well as the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mauritius has become the 14th country in the World to offer free access to swimming lessons to all primary school children through their curriculum.
As for VPM Dookun-Luchoomun, she underscored that participants have been trained so as to enable children to internalise the norms related to water safety.
She observed that programmes such as the Natation scolaire and the After-School Sports and Fitness are important for learners to succeed and reach their full potential in all aspects of their development.
As far as swimming is concerned, funding is available for all Grade 4 pupils to receive a minimum of 40 swimming sessions by qualified coaches, she stated.
The VPM also insisted that there is a need to provide the young generation with a skill which is at once a survival and a recreational one and as such, a target has been set whereby children must be able to swim a minimum of 25 metres before they leave primary school.
For her part, the Australian High Commissioner stated that it is a privilege for Australia to partner with the Mauritian Government to implement this course as the two countries are both island nations where swimming is a critical skill for the safety, well-being and health of the population.
Dr O’Shaughnessy also recalled that Australia had a long period of engagement with Mauritius on swimming training. As for Mrs Rawat-Currimjee, she dwelt on the Natation scolaire programme.
This project, she remarked, started in 2017 with the participation of 30 schools and around 926 children. By 2020, she added, some 100 schools were involved in the project as Government was committed to ensure that all children in Mauritius learn how to swim.
In a statement to the press, Minister Toussaint stressed on the importance of maintaining the Natation scolaire programme so as to enable every child to receive quality swimming classes.
He also commended the 40 participants for having successfully completed their course before appealing to parents to encourage their children to practice a regular physical activity.
