Clemens pushes for data on children's developmental status

Poor results in school entry examinations have put Saxony's Minister of Education Conrad Clemens (CDU) on the spot. "We urgently need a mandatory survey of the language and developmental level of four-year-olds. Because only early preventative action can ensure good early childhood education before children start school," he explained in Dresden. To achieve this, it is necessary to take a holistic view of the child development process from one to ten years of age.

Minister wants law on quality development

According to Clemens, daycare professionals need support in this regard. "It's best if we do this together as federal states. We see the same challenges everywhere in Germany. The federal government should present a draft for the Quality Development Act in the first quarter." Clemens had campaigned for such a law during the coalition negotiations at federal level. Its goals are also reflected in the Saxon coalition agreement.

Many children lag behind age-appropriate development

Research by the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and the "Sächsische Zeitung" recently produced alarming results. According to this, more and more children are lagging behind age-appropriate development. The studies revealed that five to six-year-olds are increasingly having problems with speech, vision, motor skills and counting. At the same time, the proportion of children for whom deferral or attendance at a special school is recommended has increased.

For the examinations for the 2024/2025 school year, a total of around 6,000 of the 36,800 children tested were recommended for deferral (8.3%) or a special school (8.0%). These are new highs. In 13,600 children, public health officers identified abnormalities such as stuttering or lisping as well as difficulties in forming sentences or pronouncing words correctly - that is 37 percent. These deficits have steadily increased in recent years (2019: 34.8 percent), they said.

Pediatricians see cell phone use as a major problem

Medical professionals are observing the development with great concern, explained Melanie Ahaus, vice state chairwoman and spokeswoman for the Association of Paediatricians in Saxony. "Families are talking much less than they used to, telling stories or reading aloud less often - instead, children are being sedated with smartphones or tablets."