School students will be able to enjoy swimming lessons once again as the Victorian Government provides vouchers for catch-up lessons missed during the pandemic.
All Government and Catholic primary schools that deliver swimming programs will provide students who missed out on lessons in 2021 with vouchers for lessons at their school’s usual facilities using their accrued swimming funding.
Minister of Education James Merlino said he doesn’t want any students to miss out on the fun and the vital education that the water safety programs provide.
“As we reopen our state, we want families to get back out to the pool and the beach throughout summer – and we’re investing to make sure every Victorian child has the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe in the water,” he said.
The vouchers will be available this term – with bookings able to be made up until the end of June 2022 to ensure vital swimming and water skills are up to scratch.
Parents will be provided with the voucher to book lessons at the designated swim school for after school, weekends or during school holidays- and schools will liaise with their usual swim school to confirm the eligible students, the number of swimming lessons students can access and when they will be available.
When the pandemic began in 2020, the Department of Education worked with Life Saving Victoria to develop classroom-based resources to teach vital water safety, and students have continued to engage with these online resources over the past year to keep building their knowledge of the water while pools were closed.
Life Saving Victoria Education Group Manager Liz Tesone said she is eager to see kids back in swimming lessons.
“We’ve proudly worked closely with Victorian Government to develop kids’ water safety knowledge during lockdowns so they can make informed and safe decisions around water throughout their lives, but it’s now time to get back in the pool to develop their practical swimming skills and fitness,” she said.
Since 2017, the Government has invested more than $101.5 million to continue swimming and water safety education programs in government, Catholic and specialist schools, and to introduce these programs to government English language schools.
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