In Luxembourg, children no longer know how to swim - due to reform and lack of specialists

Since the reform of the education system in 2009, primary schools in Luxembourg are no longer obliged to employ certified swimming masters. Responsibility for safety and training is now formally shared between regular teachers and aquatic educators, but in reality this has led to a decline in the quality of lessons and demotivated professionals.

Jupp Grüneisen, president of the Association of Swimming Instructors (ALIN), recalls that back in 2009, the ministry promised to revise the law, but nothing has changed since then. Communities have gradually stopped hiring certified masters, and today many children only swim for half an hour once a fortnight.

The tipping point comes by sixth grade: a large proportion of students lack basic swimming skills and simply "don't know how to stay in the water," Grüneisen warns.

The problem is not only in the volume of lessons, but also in the training of teachers. The university programme for future teachers includes only one swimming module. Many feel insecure at the pool, admits one instructor. Charles Grethen, a master swimmer at Schifflange, likens it to being required to teach German without training.

Paradoxically, even certified specialists can officially work only with "non-sleeping" children - until the sixth grade, after which they lose the right to teach. Master training lasts at least three years, including passing exams and receiving a diploma. "If you can't practically teach afterwards, the profession is meaningless," says Grethen.

Against the backdrop of the crisis in public education, private swimming schools are booming. Parents, concerned about their children's lack of skills, are increasingly paying for individual lessons to compensate for gaps. But such courses are expensive and not affordable for everyone.

Meanwhile, the requirements for teachers in the education system remain minimal: a Life Saver certificate is sufficient. Moreover, these courses are often conducted by master swimmers themselves. "It turns out that we are not competent enough to teach children, but enough to train teachers? It's absurd," Greten says indignantly.

More and more masters are leaving the profession, and there is no-one for young people to learn from. "I'll be retiring in four years - and frankly, I don't see a future," says Grüneisen. Grüneisen adds: if nothing changes, there will simply be no one left in the country to teach swimming.

The two professionals are demanding that the state bring masters swimming back into the primary education system. According to them, this is the only way to guarantee children's confidence and safety in the water. Otherwise, Luxembourg risks becoming a country where swimming is once again a luxury available only to those who can pay for it.