Alarming deficits: elementary school students in BW more and more dependent!

Alarming deficits: elementary school students in BW more and more dependent!

Ehrenkirchen, Deutschland - In recent years, the conditions for first graders in Baden-Württemberg have deteriorated. The realization that many children have more deficits today than a decade ago is alarming. Almost 90% of primary school teachers confirm these trends, such as the swr . The problems affect not only schools in urban focus, but also rural institutions such as the Gräfenschule in Ludwigshafen or the Jengerschule in Ehrenkirchen.

More and more schools see children who “have to stay” because they are not school -capable. Headmaster Gerd Günther makes it clear that in his first class two to three children often come from this category. It is particularly challenging that many parents - despite these deficits - hold on to schools and let their offspring school. This is mostly associated with a lack of language skills, since no German is spoken in many ways, especially in families with a migration background or among refugees.

language promotion as a key

A central aspect that must not be neglected in the challenges is the children's linguistic competence. This is not only crucial for learning, but also for social integration. According to an analysis in the Kindergarten pedagogy have many children difficulties, which are often due to a migration background or inadequate linguistic suggestions. 30% of girls and 38% of boys aged 4.5 to 5.5 years already show language development disorders, which has a negative impact on their educational opportunities.

holistic language support could help here. This should not only be implemented in kindergarten, but also in primary school in order to support children in their linguistic development. For example, the language healing schools offer targeted measures that are tailored to the individual needs of the children. Team teaching and cooperation with the parents often help to convey better communication skills to the children.

early funding required

The teachers in Baden-Württemberg therefore demand more early intervention to make it easier for children to get started with school. Here they suggest that a mandatory preschool for children in need of support should be introduced. Over 90% of teachers support this measure. Hamburg provides an example of how it can be done differently: There are getting to know talks a year and a half before schooling in order to assess the children's level of development.

The program "Education through Language and Scripture" (bite), which has been active in the second program phase since 2020, aims to transfer the results from the first phase into up to 2700 schools and daycare centers nationwide. Supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, language support will remain a central topic in this context.

Overall, it is clear that the challenges in the education sector must be addressed urgently. Without targeted measures to promote language and social integration, many children threaten to start school without the necessary basics, which could have long-term consequences for their educational and career opportunities.