Van Nispen and Mohandis put swimming safety on the map: the impact of the adopted motions.

The Dutch House of Representatives recently adopted several motions from Michiel van Nispen (SP) and Mohammed Mohandis (PvdA) that speak directly to the future of swimming safety and swimming education in the Netherlands. As a result, themes such as school swimming, access to swimming lessons and keeping pools open are firmly back on the political agenda.

For the Nederlandse Stichting Water- & Zwemveiligheid (NSWZ), this is an encouraging development. For years we have been flagging the growing inequality in swimming ability and the mounting pressure on pools and swimming schools. That is why we developed our 10-point plan as a roadmap for lasting improvement. The adopted motions align closely with much of it, but they also reveal where gaps still remain.

A matter of social urgency

The Netherlands is a country of water. From canals and ditches to recreational lakes and the North Sea: water is everywhere. And yet swimming can no longer be taken for granted. The figures show that children from low-income families are twelve times more likely to have no swimming certificate than children from higher-income groups. That gap is enormous, and it raises the risk of accidents and drowning.

At the same time, more and more pools are under strain from high costs or the threat of closure. Municipalities are struggling with funding, while private swimming schools face rising expenses and often have no access to subsidies. The result is a patchwork of provision, in which the place you happen to be born decides whether you learn to swim safely.

It is precisely to break through that inequality that the motions from Van Nispen and Mohandis matter so much. They point the way towards a more structural swimming safety policy and echo the NSWZ's call to make swimming lessons a basic amenity once again.

School swimming: not nostalgia, but necessity

The most widely discussed motion concerns the return of school swimming. Crucially, it does not call for an old-fashioned reintroduction, but for a smarter approach based on the study Schoolslag in perspectief.

That research showed that school swimming can reduce inequality, provided it is set up well. The House is now opting for a combination of two scenarios:

• Children without an A-certificate in year 6 (groep 6) receive swimming lessons outside school hours, organised by their municipality.

• Schools organise swimming sessions to identify which children do not yet have a swimming certificate.

This means we reach vulnerable groups in a targeted way, without having to overhaul the entire school curriculum. For the NSWZ, this is a step that fits well with our case for statutory swimming-lesson leave: structurally freeing up the time and space to learn to swim, so that financial or organisational barriers disappear.

School swimming thus becomes not a nostalgic throwback, but a modern tool for advancing equal opportunity.

Pools: the foundation of swimming safety

A second important motion asks the government to draw up a plan to keep public swimming pools in public hands. The aim is to better safeguard the availability of water to swim in.

That is essential, because without enough pools, every plan is meaningless. Even so, the NSWZ warns against a one-sided approach: not only public but also private providers are indispensable. In many regions they deliver the majority of swimming lessons. Their role must be recognised, and they deserve a level playing field — including when it comes to access to subsidies or support with high energy and rental costs.

In addition, a study will be carried out into a statutory municipal duty of care for swimming pools. That could provide a structural safeguard, but here too one rule applies: consultation with all recognised providers — public and private alike — is crucial. Only then can a complete and fair range of provision take shape at local level.

Access: leaving no one behind

Another adopted motion states that all municipalities must offer swimming lessons to children from low-income families. This removes an important barrier.

Yet there is also a risk: municipal schemes are often fragmented and dependent on local priorities. Parents have to navigate complicated procedures, and not every municipality makes the same resources available.

That is why the NSWZ argues for the creation of a National Swimming Lesson Fund. This would bring clarity, simplicity and certainty. Parents would always know where they stand, no matter which municipality they live in.

Where the motions still fall short

Although the adopted motions mark an important step forward, subjects remain that are indispensable to a complete swimming safety policy. Our 10-point plan points explicitly to:

• The quality of swimming education: children must not only practise certificate exercises but be genuinely prepared for unexpected situations — for example in open water.

• The shortage of swimming instructors: without enough skilled professionals, any policy collapses. Investing in training, pay and recognition is essential.

• Keeping cost increases in check for private swimming schools: rising expenses threaten to make swimming lessons unaffordable.

• Structural consultation: municipalities must be required to sit down with all recognised providers, so that cooperation does not remain non-committal.

Conclusion: a step forward, but not yet enough

The adopted motions from Van Nispen and Mohandis mark a turning point: swimming safety is back on the map in The Hague. That is a gain. But it is only the beginning.

With the NSWZ's 10-point plan, there is now an integrated roadmap that tackles inequality, safeguards quality and strengthens cooperation between public and private providers. Only by embracing that full breadth can we guarantee that every child in the Netherlands learns to swim safely.

The politicians have now opened the first door. It is up to all of us — government, municipalities, schools and swimming providers — to walk through it together.

🔗 The full NSWZ 10-point plan can be found at: nswz.nl/10puntenplan

What do you think? Are the adopted motions enough, or are a National Swimming Lesson Fund and statutory swimming-lesson leave the next step? Share your view below.