[VOA] In a supposed attempt to encourage Muslim women to learn how to swim, several Finnish swimming pools, public and private alike, have introduced women-only hours and special courses oriented toward immigrants, Finnish broadcaster Yle reports.The Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation says that the long-term goal of their Swimming Skills for All project is to train instructors with immigrant backgrounds, so that they can teach others in their own language.
The project will be funded by taxpayers through the Finnish National Agency for Education.
"Initially we had doubts about whether we would get enough students for a full batch, but the reception was great and we got a lot of people," Outi Penkkala, a teacher at Raseko Regional Education and Training Consortium, said.
Across Finland, separate swimming hours for men and women have become increasingly popular.