[Kochi] A fourth-grade boy dies in a “scary” junior high school pool three others nearly drowned before the accident， but the swimming lesson went ahead anyway．
*2024/8/31 12:00 Sankei Shimbun In July of this year, a fourth-grade boy died during swimming class in Kochi City. The elementary school’s swimming pool had a breakdown, so classes were held at a nearby junior high school. At an accident investigation committee meeting held on August 24, it was revealed that the water in the pool on the day was deeper than the boy’s height, and that three children, including the boy who died, had nearly drowned before the accident. Those involved in the accident regretted the incident, saying, “There were many opportunities to stop.” Why couldn’t it be prevented? The accident occurred on July 5th in a foot-only pool. According to the city board of education, the pool’s depth at the time was 114 to 132.5 centimeters. The boy who died was 113.8 centimeters tall and was unable to reach the bottom even at the shallowest point. Being unable to touch the bottom of the water can be a frightening experience even for adults. The city board of education established a verification committee composed of experts, and its first meeting was held on August 24th. The meeting was held in closed doors except for the opening, but the materials presented there summarizing the details of the accident and the situation on the day revealed insufficient information sharing and a lack of crisis awareness on the ground. According to documents, a malfunction of the pool filtration pump at Nagahama Elementary School, the school the victim attended, was discovered in early June. As repairs would take time, the principal of Nagahama Elementary School suggested that first through third graders attend another nearby elementary school, and fourth through sixth graders attend Nankai Junior High School, the site of the accident. Continue reading below.
>>3 At that point you’re out. You can’t use your feet = you’ll drown if you run out of strength. Even an idiot can understand that if you’re a teacher and can’t even think that clearly, you should quit teaching.
Teacher／(^o^)＼ >In a written message to parents, “…the water is shallow, so the depth is not much different from the Nagahama Elementary School pool (1.0 meters to 1.2 meters). …” and the notice. > “We added water after the survey, and… we didn’t think about the fact that the water level would change after that.”
>>13 Too stupid The universities where elementary school teachers graduate have an average score of less than 50, and those who want to become civil servants are unable to adapt and force their way through things, killing students, so I think there are serious problems with the qualifications of those who become teachers.
It’s normal for lower, middle and upper grades to manage the water depth, but there’s no way they could do that in a borrowed middle school pool. So the school bears a lot of responsibility for forcing the lesson through.
A 10 year old boy who is 113.8cm tall is likely stunted. This is the average height for a 6 year old, the average for a 10 year old is around 135cm. I’m sure he had some physical disability before he couldn’t reach the ground.
During swimming class at kindergarten, we went to a heated pool that adults also used, and it was scary when they submerged a stool and jumped over the gap between the stools.
So what’s with “they said it was scary”? Did a woman write the article? Should they have been nicer to the students? It’s fine to criticize them for not ensuring safety enough, but are they stupid enough to say things like “don’t do scary things”?
They drained out a lot of water and paid careful attention to the depth, but if they adjusted it to fit this child’s height, it would be impossible to teach. I should have let this child just observe.
>>32 Oh, so they’re small. It would be better if they restricted kids who are too tall for their grade to only use the shallow pools for younger kids, like they do for amusement park rides. And it’s safe.
>>32 and 35, are you so stupid you can’t even read the article? >The principal confirmed that the water level in the pool had risen by about 10 centimeters. The river was full on the 21st as well.
They’re so hung up on completing the set schedule, they’re slow to check safety or make the decision to cancel. Would they let the students eat their lunch even if it was undercooked because of equipment failure? You don’t get a failing grade for swimming lessons, even if you just observe. If there’s an equipment failure, they should just cancel it.
Aren’t there any rules stating under what circumstances it’s okay to hold swimming lessons? If it’s all left to the discretion of the school staff, then it’s inevitable that accidents will happen.
Japan’s physical education is an outgrowth of military training, and the underlying idea is that those who can’t run fast, can’t throw a grenade far, or drown when they can’t stand on their feet are useless on the battlefield.
>>44 When I was in elementary school and went to swimming school, I saw things like that and even though I was just a kid, I thought, “That’s how it’s safe!”
>>44 It would be quicker to drain the water than to do that. The problem is that they let elementary school students use a middle school pool. Maybe they forgot to lower the water level? I was short too, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to get my mouth above the water. I was so scared that I couldn’t concentrate on practicing swimming.
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