5 of 6 does not taught life saving

July 2, 2010

It is still unclear whether the Black Tarn life buoys were used when two brothers drowned Wednesday. Photo: Big, Morten / SCANPIX

5 of 6 Norwegian school children do not receive training in life saving as part of the swimming lessons.

“There is a huge potential in improving the life saving skills in Norway” said general secretary John-Inge in Austad ‘s Rescue Society .

Some swimming lessons

This week, two brothers, ages 9 and 12 years drowned at Svarttjern in Oslo, just steps away from a life ring. Police do not yet know whether an attempt was made to save the lives of two boys, who could not swim.

It appears now that life saving and first aid instruction in the Norwegian school are being ignored by school teachers who teach swimming. This despite the fact that it is definitely part of the curriculum for Norwegian students in basic first aid at the end of 7 step (ed. school grade).

A survey by Opinion did for the Directorate of Education in 2007 shows that 60 percent of Norwegian schools do not have swimming lessons in the first four years of primary school. For those who have education, only 40 per cent as pupils learn life saving and first aid.

This is about priorities. The curriculum is basically good enough, but not followed up by individual councils and principals” said President Per Rune Eknes at the Norwegian Swimming Federation.

He is supported by the Union of Education.

“This training is not prioritized. The goals of the curriculum is as important as all the others, but it gets less priority in many municipalities. Many blame the economy, but it is a paradox that we had better swimming lessons in the 70’s, when we had less money to spend” said Ragnhild Lied at Education Association.

Half can not swim

According to the curriculum for children who are in Norwegian schools to be safe in the water and able to swim when they get out of fourth grade, but according Swimming Association, half of the Norwegian children age ten do not swim.

This is just terrible compared to our neighboring countries. In Sweden, Iceland and Denmark almost all by the age of ten can swim” said Eknes. And he has the support of the lifeguard association.

Today’s curriculum is good enough, it is the lack of implementation. Today, half of the those public teachers carrying out teaching have not had expertise in swimming and life saving” says Austad, who believes that several instructors are unschooled in the cornerstones of Norwegian swimming lessons.

“Would you let an unskilled mechanic fix your new car? For it is precisely what we mainly do with our children when we leave the swimming and life saving instruction to unskilled teachers” says Austad.