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A significant number of five-year-olds are starting school with poor language skills, a problem teachers attribute to the impacts of Covid-19 and excessive screen time.
A report by the Education Review Office (ERO) highlights that more than a quarter of teachers in low-income areas observe that most of their students have oral language skills below the expected level, with some children unable to speak in coherent sentences.
Teachers express concerns about the long-term effects, noting that the language deficiencies hinder both communication and comprehension in the classroom.
The ERO study outlined that the pandemic has severely affected social communication skills, with nearly two-thirds of teachers reporting setbacks in children’s language development.
Early childhood educators have also noticed these issues, with some children using simple or incoherent language regardless of context. The report highlights the strong link between early language skills and later literacy and numeracy, recommending increased support for early childhood education, particularly in low-income communities, to address these developmental delays and improve educational outcomes.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
