Healthy life-style programme to be implemented in Armenia 

ArmInfo. A pilot program for a healthy lifestyle and physical activity among children will be  implemented in Armenia. At a meeting on July 4, the RA Government approved the document presented by the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

According to the head of the Ministry of Education and Science,  Zhanna Andreasyan, the program provides for increasing opportunities  for children to engage in physical education and sports, especially  swimming.  In this regard, there was a need to expand the networks of  swimming pools in the regions of the country.  The minister  emphasized that paid swimming pools already operate in a number of  regions of Armenia, the presence of which creates good opportunities  for public-private partnerships.

The presented document provides for funding the training of  school-age children. To participate in the program, tenders will be  announced, in which those swimming pools that comply with sanitary  and hygienic standards and water quality approved by the RA Ministry  of Health will be able to participate.  According to the Ministry of  Education and Science, 9 swimming pools will be able to take part in  the tender, including in Kapan, Etchmiadzin, Vanadzor, Metsamor,  Hrazdan, Ijevan and Aparan.

For swimming lessons, 200 children will be divided into two groups -  from 8 to 12 years old, and from 13 to 17 years old. In the first  group, the number of simultaneously training should not be more than  12 children, in the second - 10. Training should take place three  times a week for 1 hour. Admission of children will be based on  applications and on a first-come, first-served basis. If during the  year a student fails to pass the third-grade standard, another from  the list of waiting children will be invited to take his place.  Andreasyan said that currently, together with the urban planning  committee, research is being conducted to select standard pools, on  the basis of which the issue of constructing similar facilities in  other regions of the country will be decided.

In this regard, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol  Pashinyan emphasized that the government decided to finance this  program so that children would seriously engage in sports, and not  just go to the pool. "These, as you yourself understand, are  different things, but no one forbids children and their parents to go  to the pool," said the head of government.