Recognizing Swimming Education as a Public Water Safety Policy

The British Example and a Necessary Reflection for Brazil.

Every day, Brazilian families are affected by tragedies that could be prevented. In Brazil, approximately 16 people die from drowning every day, including around four children. Behind every statistic is a family, a life cut short, and a profound loss that underscores the urgent need to treat water safety as a national priority.

In this context, swimming education should not be viewed merely as a sport, a recreational activity, or a component of child development. It must be recognized as one of the most important layers of protection against drowning.

This is why the movement led in the United Kingdom by the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) deserves attention. The STA, a long-established British organization dedicated to training swimming teachers and promoting water safety, has been advocating for children's swimming lessons to be exempt from VAT, the United Kingdom’s value-added tax on consumption. In Brazil, following the recent tax reform, the closest comparison is the new Dual VAT system, consisting of the CBS (Contribution on Goods and Services) and the IBS (Tax on Goods and Services), which will replace taxes such as PIS, Cofins, ICMS, and ISS.

The British example is important, but it should not simply be replicated. The contexts of the two countries are fundamentally different. Historically, the UK government has played a significant role in providing public swimming pools, municipal sports centers, and swimming education programs. Even so, as public provision has declined, private swim schools have assumed an increasingly important role.

In Brazil, however, the reality is almost the opposite. Most structured swimming instruction takes place in private swim schools. In other words, while the private sector in the UK complements an already established public system, in Brazil it is, in practice, the primary provider responsible for teaching children how to swim.

This difference makes the discussion even more relevant.

If teaching a child to swim directly contributes to reducing risks, preventing drowning, and saving lives, it is worth asking whether this service should continue to be treated by public authorities merely as an ordinary economic activity. Swim schools promote health, physical and cognitive development, socialization, and inclusion, but they also fulfill an essential public safety function.

The STA’s campaign offers valuable inspiration for Brazil because it raises a fundamental question: when a service has a direct impact on preserving human life, should it not receive special recognition from the State?

Recognizing swimming education as a public water safety policy does not mean disregarding its private or entrepreneurial nature. Rather, it means acknowledging that swim schools are strategic partners in society’s efforts to prevent drowning.

In a country where so many water-related deaths are preventable, expanding access to swimming education is not merely an educational or sporting choice. It is a commitment to protecting human life.

Rafaele Madormo

Executive Director, INATI