With a package of measures, the state government wants to significantly reduce the number of non-swimmers among Bavaria’s children. The support program decided by the cabinet includes support for municipalities in the construction of school swimming pools as well as for the renovation and modernization of municipal pools. The club’s own swimming pools are also to receive additional funding and the seahorse program is to be reintroduced from the coming school and kindergarten year.
“The ability of young people to swim is an important concern of the state government,” said Head of State Florian Herrmann (CSU) on Tuesday in Munich. He justified the funding with the increasing number of non-swimmers among Bavarian children. According to a survey last year, the number of elementary school children who could not swim per year doubled from 10 to 20 percent between 2017 and 2022.
Experts see a connection between the lack of swimming pools and the lack of swimming skills. How much money is available in total for this initially remained open. When asked, Herrmann only pointed out that this is a very complex funding structure in which the specific total volume is not decisive. Rather, the aim now is to motivate the municipalities to decide in favor of construction or refurbishment.
Depending on the demand from the municipalities, the funding will be provided by the state government. The ability to keep oneself afloat independently is not only important for accident prevention and thus for personal safety. Being able to swim is also important for growing up healthy, the social interaction of the children and leisure activities.
Herrmann appealed to all parents to give their children the chance: “Really take care that your children can swim.” According to Herrmann, the central point of the funding program is the doubling of the funding framework to up to 80 percent in the future, for financially weak municipalities the maximum funding rate will even be raised to up to 90 percent. In addition, there is equal treatment for subsidies for swimming pools from clubs. The cap on eligible expenditure will be raised from 5.8 to 8 million euros. This “game changer” will “certainly lead to many municipalities carrying out a renovation or a new building”.
“The waiting lists for swimming courses are long,” says the lifeguard
For years there has been a massive renovation backlog for many swimming pools in Bavaria. According to a report by the Ministry of Construction, in April 2022 the financial requirements totaled 1.78 billion euros. On the other hand, there has been a funding program with a six-year capped volume of 120 million euros.
In recent years, the state government has always rejected calls for more funding with reference to municipal responsibility and general municipal financial equalization. The Greens in the state parliament rated the package of measures as “pure window dressing”. In fact, the decision means “not a single euro more in the subsidy pot for the ailing swimming pools in Bavaria,” said Johannes Becher. This means that it is not possible to ensure that the water areas in Bavaria are preserved across the board. This would require one thing above all: more money overall for the renovation of the swimming pools.
On the other hand, the water rescue service in Bavaria praised the new funding. “The ability to swim suffered greatly during the pandemic and the energy crisis, the waiting lists for swimming courses are long,” says Thomas Huber, state chairman of the Bavarian water rescue service. Furthermore, at the beginning of the new school and kindergarten year 2023/2024, all first graders and preschool children would receive a voucher for 50 euros for a swimming course to acquire the early swimmer badge “Seahorse”, says Herrmann. The swimming promotion program “Mach mit – Tauch auf!” will be renewed for this and should also be permanently consolidated. From 2024/2025, all preschool children will then receive a corresponding voucher annually at the beginning of the respective kindergarten year.