Politics and Economics
Status of Education
The education system in Liechtenstein is superior to the educational systems of many other countries in terms of their success. Due to their small size and wealth as a nation, they have an advantage when it comes to educating their children; yet the techniques they employ and the importance they place on their teachers is something that makes them unique from many other countries. These methods are in sync with the priorities of the UN Global Education Initiative and have proven rewarding in the country of Liechtenstein.
The structure of the education system in Liechtenstein is similar to most systems and allows for all children to attend school, meeting the UN’s first priority in their Global Education Initiative. Optional kindergarten is offered for children age five to seven and then begins the compulsory education. Primary school, Primarschule, consists of five years and has an enrollment rate of 105% due to the inclusion of early or late school entrances and grade repetitions. Secondary education is broken up into three tracks. These tracks vary in intensity with Oberschule being the least rigorous, Realschule providing vocational education, and Gymnasium, an eight-year university preparation program (Encyclopedia of the Nations, n.d.). The country has a 98.55% high school enrollment rate and although there are no universities in the country, contracts have made it possible for citizens of Lichtenstein to go to college for free in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany (Liechtenstein Education Stats, n.d.). This removes the financial barrier and allows more students to pursue higher education. Data shows that with the increased education, the quality of life and life expectancy also increase, as shown in the expected life span of 82 years of a Liechtenstein citizen (The World Bank, n.d.). The benefits of educating all children can be seen in the thriving economy, booming industry, and strong country as a whole.
According to the UN Global Education Initiative, making education available to all students is just one of the factors in having an effective educational system. The quality of the education and motivation of the teachers plays a large role in the overall effectiveness of the teaching as well. In most countries, the status of the citizen is determined in part by their profession. The government of Liechtenstein places their schoolteachers on a much more highly regarded level than most teachers sit in the majority of countries, including the United States. Secondary school teachers have a starting salary of £67,000 and continue on to make up to £108,000 a year (Samuel, 2013). This is a significantly larger salary than nearly all other nations’ educators earn at that grade level. This steep pay and status creates motivated teachers that work hard to assist their students to achieve. Contributing to the quality of the education, the government also puts a great importance on the education of their citizens and uses their money to provide the best education possible. Liechtenstein only has 10 secondary schools that hold 4,575 students. The small size of the country and the limited number of students allows for small classes in both the primary schools, with only about 12 students per class, and secondary schools having a maximum of 24 students but average of 15 students (Samuel, 2013). This allows for individualized learning and personal attention to ensure each student is able to accomplish his or her goals.
Additionally, Liechtenstein’s education is efficacious in retaining their students and aiding them to be prosperous in their futures. Students in Liechtenstein do surprisingly well in mathematics which is important to maintain their thriving industrial economy. Teachers raise the worth of their education by putting an emphasis on using math in real-life rather than just from a textbook. These students witness their parents using math in their daily lives and are aware of the job opportunities available for them that require math (Samuel, 2013). As a result, students are not afraid of math but see the prospects that can come from it and are motivated to continue with their studies. The teachers are present to teach the basics and develop a firm understanding rather than just getting them to memorize the processes without any real comprehension, leading to them being active members of society.
Despite the success of Liechtenstein’s educational system, it lacks in a critical aspect of the UN’s Global Education Initiative, attention to global citizenship. The country of Liechtenstein has been involved in the Global Citizen Scholarship essay competition that allows the American winners of the contest to travel to various European countries as outstanding global citizens (EF Educational Tours, 2008). In upper secondary education in Liechtenstein, curriculum refers to the objective of citizenship and knowledge of this is required to pass the leaving examination (Eurydice, 2005, p. 43). Additionally, citizenship training is required for new teachers (Eurydice, 2005, p. 48). The problem with the education system of Liechtenstein is that is fails to begin instilling global citizenship from an early age and by the time the students are in secondary school, they may have already formed opinions that are difficult to change.
Sources:
EF’S GLOBAL CITIZEN SCHOLARSHIPS. (2009, January 30). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://equator.eftours.com/the-ef-spotlight/global-citizen-scholarships
Encyclopedia of the Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Liechtenstein-EDUCATION.html
Eurydice. (2005, May 1). Citizenship Education at School in Europe. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.indire.it/lucabas/lkmw_file/eurydice/Citizenship_schools_Europe_2005_EN.pdf
Liechtenstein Education Stats. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/Liechtenstein/Education
Samuel, H. (2013, December 3). OECD education report: Liechtenstein uses tiny classes and a specially-tailored maths programme to beat the competition. Retrieved October 14, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10490211/OECD-education-report-Liechtenstein-uses-tiny-classes-and-a-specially-tailored-maths-programme-to-beat-the-competition.html
The World Bank. (n.d.). Liechtenstein. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/country/liechtenstein
The structure of the education system in Liechtenstein is similar to most systems and allows for all children to attend school, meeting the UN’s first priority in their Global Education Initiative. Optional kindergarten is offered for children age five to seven and then begins the compulsory education. Primary school, Primarschule, consists of five years and has an enrollment rate of 105% due to the inclusion of early or late school entrances and grade repetitions. Secondary education is broken up into three tracks. These tracks vary in intensity with Oberschule being the least rigorous, Realschule providing vocational education, and Gymnasium, an eight-year university preparation program (Encyclopedia of the Nations, n.d.). The country has a 98.55% high school enrollment rate and although there are no universities in the country, contracts have made it possible for citizens of Lichtenstein to go to college for free in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany (Liechtenstein Education Stats, n.d.). This removes the financial barrier and allows more students to pursue higher education. Data shows that with the increased education, the quality of life and life expectancy also increase, as shown in the expected life span of 82 years of a Liechtenstein citizen (The World Bank, n.d.). The benefits of educating all children can be seen in the thriving economy, booming industry, and strong country as a whole.
According to the UN Global Education Initiative, making education available to all students is just one of the factors in having an effective educational system. The quality of the education and motivation of the teachers plays a large role in the overall effectiveness of the teaching as well. In most countries, the status of the citizen is determined in part by their profession. The government of Liechtenstein places their schoolteachers on a much more highly regarded level than most teachers sit in the majority of countries, including the United States. Secondary school teachers have a starting salary of £67,000 and continue on to make up to £108,000 a year (Samuel, 2013). This is a significantly larger salary than nearly all other nations’ educators earn at that grade level. This steep pay and status creates motivated teachers that work hard to assist their students to achieve. Contributing to the quality of the education, the government also puts a great importance on the education of their citizens and uses their money to provide the best education possible. Liechtenstein only has 10 secondary schools that hold 4,575 students. The small size of the country and the limited number of students allows for small classes in both the primary schools, with only about 12 students per class, and secondary schools having a maximum of 24 students but average of 15 students (Samuel, 2013). This allows for individualized learning and personal attention to ensure each student is able to accomplish his or her goals.
Additionally, Liechtenstein’s education is efficacious in retaining their students and aiding them to be prosperous in their futures. Students in Liechtenstein do surprisingly well in mathematics which is important to maintain their thriving industrial economy. Teachers raise the worth of their education by putting an emphasis on using math in real-life rather than just from a textbook. These students witness their parents using math in their daily lives and are aware of the job opportunities available for them that require math (Samuel, 2013). As a result, students are not afraid of math but see the prospects that can come from it and are motivated to continue with their studies. The teachers are present to teach the basics and develop a firm understanding rather than just getting them to memorize the processes without any real comprehension, leading to them being active members of society.
Despite the success of Liechtenstein’s educational system, it lacks in a critical aspect of the UN’s Global Education Initiative, attention to global citizenship. The country of Liechtenstein has been involved in the Global Citizen Scholarship essay competition that allows the American winners of the contest to travel to various European countries as outstanding global citizens (EF Educational Tours, 2008). In upper secondary education in Liechtenstein, curriculum refers to the objective of citizenship and knowledge of this is required to pass the leaving examination (Eurydice, 2005, p. 43). Additionally, citizenship training is required for new teachers (Eurydice, 2005, p. 48). The problem with the education system of Liechtenstein is that is fails to begin instilling global citizenship from an early age and by the time the students are in secondary school, they may have already formed opinions that are difficult to change.
Sources:
EF’S GLOBAL CITIZEN SCHOLARSHIPS. (2009, January 30). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://equator.eftours.com/the-ef-spotlight/global-citizen-scholarships
Encyclopedia of the Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Liechtenstein-EDUCATION.html
Eurydice. (2005, May 1). Citizenship Education at School in Europe. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.indire.it/lucabas/lkmw_file/eurydice/Citizenship_schools_Europe_2005_EN.pdf
Liechtenstein Education Stats. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/Liechtenstein/Education
Samuel, H. (2013, December 3). OECD education report: Liechtenstein uses tiny classes and a specially-tailored maths programme to beat the competition. Retrieved October 14, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10490211/OECD-education-report-Liechtenstein-uses-tiny-classes-and-a-specially-tailored-maths-programme-to-beat-the-competition.html
The World Bank. (n.d.). Liechtenstein. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/country/liechtenstein
Government
Oil Consumption
These values are based off of Switzerland because no information can be found on Liechtenstein.
Oil Production: 3,613 bbl/day
Oil Consumption: 258,200 bbl/day
Liechtenstein does not produce much oil but does consume small amounts of oil. Fuel oil is only 12.9% of the energy sources used in Liechtenstein. They focus on other sources of energy with electricity, produced mainly through solar energy, being the most used source. Additionally, they have hydrothermal potential with the close proximity of the Rhine river. Due to its small size, they import nearly 85% of their energy requirements from Switzerland and only produce 15% of their energy.
Oil Production: 3,613 bbl/day
Oil Consumption: 258,200 bbl/day
Liechtenstein does not produce much oil but does consume small amounts of oil. Fuel oil is only 12.9% of the energy sources used in Liechtenstein. They focus on other sources of energy with electricity, produced mainly through solar energy, being the most used source. Additionally, they have hydrothermal potential with the close proximity of the Rhine river. Due to its small size, they import nearly 85% of their energy requirements from Switzerland and only produce 15% of their energy.
Economy
Liechtenstein is a highly successful country with a diversified and competitive manufacturing, financial, and services sector. Its manufacturing industries include electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, and optical instruments. These items are produced in a variety of privately owned companies and small businesses. The majority of these goods, $3.801 billion worth, are exported to various countries throughout the world with the United States being the number one recipient of these goods.
The labor distribution is as follows: 59.9% services, 39.4% industry, and 0.8% agriculture. This shows an extraordinary change in just 40 years as the country moved from almost entirely agricultural based to predominantly service and industry based. This transition resulted in the rapid growth of the country's economic sector. This is a very similar distribution of the labor sectors in Switzerland and Austria as well. The unemployment rate is only 2.3%. Although it is slightly larger for women than for men, the unemployment overall is ranked at 18th place in comparison to the world. It falls below the unemployment rate of both Austria and Switzerland. Business taxes are extremely low, with the maximum tax rate being 20%. This tax rate is lower than both of its neighboring countries and has attracted various foreign businesses who have established branches in Liechtenstein, increasing the country's revenue. As a whole, the economical success of Liechtenstein continues to grow and improve.
The GDP per capita for the country is $89,400, the second largest GDP per capita in the world. This shows just how successful the country is despite its small size. They are able to remain competitive and important in the world due to the high-quality and cutting-edge industries that many parts of the world depend on. This allows the citizens of Liechtenstein to experience a quality of life in the upper 20% of the world's countries. Though they are tiny in comparison to their neighboring countries, Liechtenstein offers a living standard nearly equal to the urban areas of these larger countries.
The labor distribution is as follows: 59.9% services, 39.4% industry, and 0.8% agriculture. This shows an extraordinary change in just 40 years as the country moved from almost entirely agricultural based to predominantly service and industry based. This transition resulted in the rapid growth of the country's economic sector. This is a very similar distribution of the labor sectors in Switzerland and Austria as well. The unemployment rate is only 2.3%. Although it is slightly larger for women than for men, the unemployment overall is ranked at 18th place in comparison to the world. It falls below the unemployment rate of both Austria and Switzerland. Business taxes are extremely low, with the maximum tax rate being 20%. This tax rate is lower than both of its neighboring countries and has attracted various foreign businesses who have established branches in Liechtenstein, increasing the country's revenue. As a whole, the economical success of Liechtenstein continues to grow and improve.
The GDP per capita for the country is $89,400, the second largest GDP per capita in the world. This shows just how successful the country is despite its small size. They are able to remain competitive and important in the world due to the high-quality and cutting-edge industries that many parts of the world depend on. This allows the citizens of Liechtenstein to experience a quality of life in the upper 20% of the world's countries. Though they are tiny in comparison to their neighboring countries, Liechtenstein offers a living standard nearly equal to the urban areas of these larger countries.