Even if there is no swimming pool in Tambon Pongpoei, Muang district of Bung Karn province, it does not discourage a physical education teacher of Ban Huey Samyod Thevakul school from teaching his students on how to swim just for the sake of sparing them from drowning.
There have been several cases of drowning among youngsters in Muang district and one of the reasons is that all those who drowned didn’t know how to swim.
The management of Ban Huey Samyod Thevakul has recently come up with an idea to turn an unused pond, called Sra Ban Thung, into a swimming pool. Moreover, both the teachers and students joined hands in making life vests by using abandoned plastic bottles and having them sewn together with leftover cloth.
The school also received goggles donated by swimming coaches from Chiang Mai.
Swimming class is held every Friday afternoon and it is regarded as an extra-curricular activity in accordance with the government’s new policy to reduce the hours spent by students in classrooms so they will have more time for activities outside classrooms.
Mr Kaweerat Pornnikom, the swimming coach of the school, said that what he taught the students is teach them of how to survive in the water. He said he did not strictly attach to theory but merely wanted the students to be able to float in the water so that they will not drown.
Ms Naowarat Wongpradoong, a Pathom 6 student, said it was a great fun to learn how to swim even though the water in the pond is a bit murky.
