Swimming skills are declining in large parts of Oslo

In order to be considered able to swim, pupils in the 4th grade must pass a swimming test which includes swimming, diving and floating on their stomachs and backs.

In the district of Stovner, only five per cent of pupils passed the swimming test this year, while in Nordre Aker 88 per cent passed. In 2019, almost half of the fourth-graders at Stovner passed this test, writes Aftenposten.

Only in the districts of Bjerke, Gamle Oslo, Grünerløkka, Nordre Aker and Vestre Aker were there more students who passed the test than in 2019.

– This is obviously not a development we want, and we must follow up together with the relevant schools and districts. It is our duty to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn to swim. This cannot remain a class-divided skill, writes school councilor Julie Remen Midtgarden (H) in an email to Aftenposten.

Principal Gro Høydal Nesse at Vestli school in the district of Stovner explains the lack of swimming skills by the fact that parents often cannot swim, that the children are afraid of water, that the parents have financial challenges, or that there is no swimming culture at home.

– We have many students who are afraid of water, and it takes a long time to make them safe enough to get into the pool. At the oldest stages, it is also an increasing challenge to get the girls in the water, she says.

An increasing proportion of girls do not want to participate in swimming lessons, according to the principal at Vestli School.