Incomplete Reporting on Swimming Lessons in the Netherlands: The Need for a Fair Approach

Incomplete Reporting on Swimming Lessons in the Netherlands

The recently published NOS article about the rising cost of swimming lessons and the growing number of children without a swimming certificate has drawn a great deal of attention. However, the article paints a one-sided and incomplete picture of the current situation within the swimming industry, effectively leaving out an entire group within the sector.

It's true that swimming lessons have become more expensive — with some providers more than others. The unfortunate thing is that no account is taken of the unsubsidised commercial swim schools. Over the past few years, these have survived one crisis after another without any support whatsoever. This article focuses solely on the semi-commercial operators in municipal facilities and on local authorities themselves. No consideration at all is given to the small and medium-sized enterprises in the swimming industry — and this article is no exception.

A Distorted Picture

According to Remco Hoekman, director of the Mulier Instituut, swimming safety is essential for every child, and they should all have the opportunity to earn their A, B and C certificates. Figures from the CBS show that the proportion of children without a swimming certificate rose from 6 percent in 2018 to 13 percent in 2022. Among the poorest 20 percent of families, as many as a quarter of children hold no swimming certificate at all. These figures are alarming, but they don't tell the whole story.

We have pointed out on several occasions that the figures are incomplete because commercial providers are not included in this research. Commercial providers teach a third of all children who take swimming lessons, yet they are passed over time and again. This is where the real problem in the swimming industry begins: by excluding the commercial side and failing to acknowledge the interests of swim schools and commercial pools, a distorted picture emerges — not only for ordinary citizens, but for policymakers too. Statements like these, which stitch together various studies that have surfaced over recent months, create fear rather than offering a constructive solution for the future.

The Price of Swimming Lessons

A survey by Nieuwsuur of thirty municipal pools shows that prices have risen sharply. Since 2018, parents have had to pay almost 30 percent more on average for swimming lessons, with increases of around 70 percent in some municipalities. Where you once paid 9 euros for a swimming lesson, it now costs around 12 euros. Earning an A certificate takes about sixty lessons. These costs cause stress and uncertainty in families with limited financial means, leading some parents to decide to stop their children's swimming lessons altogether.

Highlighting heartbreaking accounts of people who cannot afford swimming lessons is one approach, but the industry could also work together to drop the victim mentality and, before turning to politics, start by acknowledging its three peers within the swimming industry: the municipalities, the semi-commercial operators, and the commercial swim schools and pools. Clubs, too, should be counted here, as they play an important role in facilitating swimming lessons. That 9 euros per lesson is mainly found among clubs that run on volunteers, or among subsidised or operationally compensated parties that can offset their major costs and losses against municipal budgets.

Swim schools come nowhere near this — let alone after the crisis years just behind us.

Unequal Subsidies

The higher prices are driven primarily by higher energy tariffs: keeping water clean and warm takes a great deal of energy. To help pools, the government introduced an emergency fund of 207 million euros in 2022. But alongside energy costs, rising staff costs and a shortage of pool attendants are also major problems. Many municipalities work together with (sports) funds to help parents who cannot afford the lessons. They may have part or all of the cost reimbursed. However, not every child can receive a reimbursement, and not every municipality offers swimming subsidies. The Mulier Instituut considers this undesirable and argues for broader access to poverty schemes.

Talk of an emergency fund, SPUKIJZ, the TEK scheme and so on — over recent years all of this has been set up only for municipal pools and semi-commercial operators, in order to keep municipal facilities open. This has led to an extreme gap between the municipalities and semi-commercial parties on one side and the genuinely commercial providers on the other, who have had to absorb every cost themselves, not least by raising prices drastically. The distorted picture that emerges from this article is that everything possible has been done — yes, for the municipal pools and their semi-commercial operators.

A Fair Solution

It's high time that the distribution of subsidies and support measures in the swimming industry became fairer. Recognising commercial SME providers and creating a more level and more affordable climate for swimming lessons is crucial. Overhauling the subsidy system — including the Jeugdfonds Sport en Cultuur — so that parents, rather than the municipality, decide where their children may swim would be an important first step.

In short, let's strive for an inclusive solution that takes the interests of all parties into account, so that swimming lessons remain affordable and swimming safety is accessible to everyone. It's time the commercial pools and swim schools received the recognition and support they deserve.

Sources:

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