Children aged three to five will soon start benefitting from free swimming lessons as part of a new Government initiative.

The Ministry for Education and Sport, through SportMalta, said that this initiative is based on the principle that, as an island nation, Malta must ensure that children acquire basic swimming and water safety skills from an early age.

“Water safety remains an important public health priority, and the programme aims to equip children with the confidence and fundamental skills needed to remain safe in and around water,” the Ministry said.

The programme will be introduced through a phased rollout, starting as a pilot project in schools within the Cottonera area, after which it will be extended to Gozo before being rolled out nationwide.

The objective is to ensure that, over time, every child within the target age group has access to free swimming instruction, regardless of locality.

Ahead of the programme, SportMalta has been working in collaboration with European Aquatics and the Aquatics Association of Malta to strengthen the coaching framework for the programme and to enhance the accreditation of  coaches.

This will ensure that sessions are delivered in accordance with internationally recognised standards by appropriately qualified coaches.

To ensure high levels of safety and individual attention, each swimming coach will be assigned a maximum of three children.

The swimming sessions will focus on three essential water safety skills: entering the water safely, floating, and exiting the water independently – the core building blocks of swimming competence and water safety.

In the future, the programme is also expected to be expanded to include a parent-and-child component under the Let's Move Malta programme, encouraging families to develop water confidence and healthy lifestyles together.

Minister for Education and Sport Byron Camilleri said this initiative will benefit both children and their families and reflects the Government’s objectives to ensure equal access to opportunities in education and sport, encourage physical activity, and equip students with essential skills.