Children will lose if pool is privatised

AS A teacher and a member of Sundays Well Swimming Club I wish to express my opposition to the proposed private/public partnership deal that the Lord Mayor of Cork and others are advocating for the Gus Healy pool in Douglas. Under the new curriculum guidelines for physical education in schools, aquatics are regarded as an integral part of the development of the child.

It is important to develop water confidence and safety, thereby promoting self-confidence, a healthy attitude to the body and exercise, thereby moulding the children’s outlook in the future.

As teachers, my colleagues and I take this seriously because we believe it is important to give the youth skills and direction so that they may gain a purposeful direction to their lives and remain focused during difficult teenage years.