Patna : Children attending government schools in Bihar will soon learn to swim as part of a new initiative under the state’s disaster preparedness programme. The scheme, announced, will see students in classes 9 to 12 receive formal swimming training, with sessions conducted in designated pools across districts.
The move, developed jointly by the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC) and the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA), is aimed at equipping children with essential life-saving skills. Authorities say it is a response to the frequent drowning incidents reported across the state, particularly during floods or accidents near rivers and ponds.
“Teaching students to swim is not only about sport or recreation,” said an official from BEPC. “It’s about survival. In the event of a disaster, these skills can help save lives — their own and others’.”
Training will be delivered by qualified instructors, with facilities being used in districts where swimming pools are already available. In areas lacking such infrastructure, new pools will be constructed, beginning at the district level, followed by block headquarters.
The project falls under the Chief Minister’s School Safety Programme and includes other preparedness initiatives. Dr Uday Kumar Ujjwal, the state programme officer for BEPC, has been assigned to the BSDMA part-time to help oversee ‘Safe Saturday’ sessions in schools — a regular feature promoting safety education.
In addition to swimming, mock earthquake drills will be held daily during school assemblies in earthquake-prone districts. The drills will be conducted with the help of Aapda Mitras — trained disaster response volunteers — who will educate students on how to protect themselves and their families in the event of an earthquake.
