Rising speech difficulties among starting school students in Thuringia show a concerning trend - Rising language deficiencies among school leavers in Thuringia
In the 2024/25 school year, a concerning trend emerged in Thuringia as 31% of school starters were found to have language deficits, marking a significant increase from previous years. These deficits primarily manifested in difficulties with understanding and speaking the German language, affecting children's ability to communicate effectively and integrate socially at school.
Contributing factors to this rise include increasing diversity and migration, where children grow up speaking different native languages or dialects at home, which may impact their initial proficiency in German. Socioeconomic factors and limited early childhood language support may also exacerbate these deficits.
The Ministry of Health and the State Administration Office in Thuringia reported that in the same school year, 17.2% of girls and boys had problems with mobility and balance, and 14.6% were classified as behaviorally disturbed. Moreover, up to 16% of school starters were overweight during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to a decrease to 11.2% in the last school year.
The proportion of children with cavities that required treatment stood at 27.3%, while 18.7% of girls and boys had reduced visual acuity. Unfortunately, evaluations for the 2025/26 school year are not yet available.
It is important to note that not all children completed all individual examinations during the initial school examination. A total of 19,100 children presented themselves for the initial school examination in the 2024/25 school year.
Previously, between 24% and 27% of first-graders in Thuringia had language issues such as stuttering, lisping, difficulties in sentence formation, or insufficient language skills. These deficits are critical as they can significantly influence later academic success and personal development. Efforts to identify and address these deficits early aim to provide targeted language support and interventions to help children catch up before or during their school start.
This information was synthesized from general educational and sociolinguistic understanding, as the provided search results do not contain direct information or specific statistics about the causes or nature of language deficits among Thuringian school starters. For more precise regional data or detailed studies, consulting local education authority reports or research specific to Thuringia would be advisable.
The community policy in Thuringia could consider integrating vocational training programs focused on language instruction, recognizing the significant rise in language deficits among school starters and the potential impact on their future academic success. Additionally, health-and-wellness initiatives, such as incorporating language learning into science education and self-development programs, may help bridge the language gap and promote overall well-being for children, given the various health and behavioral concerns evident in the schools.
