• All children in Germany are to undergo a language and development test at the age of 4, with additional support provided for those identified as lagging behind.
• Kindergartens, especially larger facilities working with children from difficult socio-economic backgrounds, will receive additional funding and staffing to carry out the tests and provide extra support, with the government planning to spend €9.25 billion by 2034.
• The draft law approved by the Cabinet aims to improve early childhood education in Germany by providing more equal opportunities for all children, regardless of their background, with the reform set to gradually take effect from 2027 and fully implemented by 2029.

All children in Germany are to undergo a language and development test at the age of 4, according to a draft law approved by Cabinet on Wednesday, as the government seeks to improve early childhood education.

Under the plans, children identified to be lagging behind are to be given additional support to enable them to have a smooth transition from kindergarten to primary school.

Kindergartens - particularly larger facilities working with children from difficult socio-economic backgrounds - are to receive additional funding and staffing to be able to carry out the tests and provide additional support, with the government planning to spend €9.25 billion ($10.7 billion) by 2034.

Education Minister Karin Prien said that the main aim was to provide more equal opportunities for all children.

"The educational and life paths of children and young people still depend far too much on where a child comes from, what sort of family they come from, and their parents' level of education, and far too little on the talents and abilities of the children themselves," she said.

Sending a child to kindergarten isn't mandatory in Germany. Children who are not in kindergarten will also have to take the test, which is designed to assess language and motor skills, emotional development and mathematical abilities.

The bill will now go to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, and the Bundesrat, which represents the country's 16 states, for further debate.

The coalition plans for the reform to gradually take effect from 2027, before coming into full force in 2029.