© dpa
More than 6,500 children in Berlin learned to swim or improved their swimming skills in intensive courses during the school holidays this year.
Almost 3,340 of them acquired the silver or bronze swimming badge and around 1,790 at least the "Seepferdchen" (seahorse, the german early swimmer badge), according to the Senate Education Department.
A total of 711 free swimming courses were offered during the Easter, summer and autumn holidays. For the first time, there were also courses for older pupils from Year 5 onwards. This was particularly popular with child and youth welfare organisations, according to the report. The courses were offered for the first time in the 2018 summer holidays, with around 660 participants at the time. Since then, a total of around 32,160 children have learnt to swim.
"The intensive swimming courses are a success story," said Senator for Education Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU). Swimming enables participation, promotes exercise and is vital for survival. According to the Berlin State Sports Association, safe swimming means being able to swim for 15 minutes in deep water without support or assistance, in a prone or supine position.
According to the education administration, around 24 per cent of third-graders in Berlin cannot swim. In the previous year, the rate was just as high; in 2022, it was 37 per cent due to the coronavirus. In comparison: before the pandemic, it was around 16 per cent. According to the German Life Saving Association (DLRG), 20 per cent of primary school children nationwide were unable to swim in 2020.