PETALING JAYA - Ten-year-old Qamarul Muhammad Izhar looks forward to his weekend swimming lessons.
"Learning how to swim is fun.
The coach is nice, and I have learnt how to kick and float," he said after his class on Saturday.
His nine-year-old sister Qaisarah and seven-year-old brother Qayyum are also taking swimming lessons. Qaisarah used to be afraid of water, but now gets excited to go in, as she could float confidently after the first two lessons.
This weekend, Qamarul, Qaisarah and Qayyum are among 288 children completing the first phase of a free swimming programme organised by Malaysia's Youth and Sports Ministry in a bid to reduce the number of children drowning.
About 500 drowning cases involving children are reported each year in Malaysia, equivalent to half the number of students in a typical school.
During school holidays, headlines about children drowning in hotel pools, by the beach or by the river are common.
"Before Covid-19, there were about 500 cases a year. Now, we keep reading about it in the news...
when it is school holidays, you hear about drownings," Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said.
This story is from the June 04, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the June 04, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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