5-year-olds in NZ have lower speaking skills due to COVID-19, impacting 66% of teachers, according to the Education Review Office.

5-year-olds in New Zealand are entering school with lower speaking skills due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by the Education Review Office (ERO). Nearly 66% of teachers reported that Covid-19 has impacted children's language development, particularly social communication language skills. The ERO report suggests quality early childhood education can accelerate literacy by up to a year, and recommends removing barriers and increasing enrollment for children from poor families, as well as ensuring clear progress indicators for oral language in the school and early childhood curriculums.

7 months ago
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