NT$890 mil. swimming plan to be launched

Giving a briefing at a weekly Executive Yuan meeting, SAC Minister Tai Hsia-ling said various government agencies, including the SAC, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and the Coast Guard Administration, have appropriated budgets to jointly finance the program.

Besides building new swimming pools and renovating old ones, Tai said, the funds will also be used to hone the swimming skills of students, police officers, firefighters, coast guard officers and military servicemen.

At present, Tai said, Taiwan has 1,086 swimming pools and the pass rates of swimming skill tests among elementary and high school students, servicemen, policemen, firefighters and coast guard officers are 42 percent, 60 percent, 40 percent, 64 percent and 78 percent, respectively.

Under the nationwide program, Tai went on, the SAC has set short-, mid- and long-term goals.

“2010 through 2013 is the initial seed-planting period, in which creating a favorable environment for swimming is the top goal, “ Tai said, adding that the SAC aims to train 6,400 swimming coaches and 200 swimming pool operators, in addition to helping 8,000 aspirants obtain pool lifeguard licenses.

The council also hopes to raise the number of students learning to swim to 1.68 million by 2013, up from the current 1.32 million, Tai said.

“We will also work to pull down the student drowning ratio from the current 1.06 per 100,000 students to 0.9 by 2013, “ Tai said, adding that the ultimate goal is to bring down the ratio to 0.5 per 100,000.

At present, 49 percent of local swimming pools are heated, Tai said, adding that the rate will be raised to 64 percent by 2013.

“In the 2014-2017 growth period, we will aim to upgrade the swimming skills of all local people,” Tai said, adding that from 2018 the government will focus on nurturing and developing a culture that is water sports friendly.

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