oho #4 - The magazine of the Principality of Liechtenstein

oho#4
You completed a training course to become an
officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
in England. Will your son Joseph Wenzel also be
going to Sandhurst and how did you benefit from
this course?
My son is still in the middle of his studies, but he
might decide to go to Sandhurst at a later date. Personally
speaking, I think one of the things I gained
from my experience at the Royal Military Academy
was that I had to take responsibility for other people
at a very young age. Of course it’s a valuable experience
if you have the opportunity to get to know foreign
cultures or the way people live in other situations,
whether it’s through military training or
comparable experiences, as a young person, and
to be obliged to assume responsibility early on in
life. These are important schools for life, I think.
A few years have already passed since the last education
reform. Can Liechtenstein afford to remain
stuck with the status quo in view of rapid technological
and social developments?
Although Liechtenstein has a very good education
system and achieves top marks in international comparison
tests, the rapid pace of technological and
social developments means that we need to keep improving
our education system. With targeted reforms
we should design our education system in such a
way that it becomes even more attractive for teachers,
responds even better to the needs of pupils and
can therefore react faster and more flexible to all
kinds of developments.
Both you and your father, Prince Hans-Adam II,
have previously proposed the introduction of socalled
education vouchers. To what extent is this
still an important issue which needs to be addressed
in your opinion?
I am convinced that the sensible way to finance
schools would, in principle, be for state funds to follow
the students, not the other way around. Education
vouchers are not absolutely necessary in this
case. It might even be better for the compulsory
school sector if all schools accredited by the state
would also receive certain fixed amounts in addition
to a funding scheme based on the number of pupils.
Is there a school system which already works
in this way?
Unfortunately, there are virtually no useful examples out
there which we can use in this regard. However, there
are states in which partial elements of our approach have
been introduced – the closest perhaps is the Dutch education
model. But to my knowledge, the model I have in
mind hasn’t been introduced yet by any state.
So might there be a chance that Liechtenstein
once again takes over a pioneering role in regard
to education?
Given the importance of education for our future, our
ambition should be that we have not just a good, but the
best education system. Obviously, our education system
should always be understood in its regional context –
especially when it comes to further education in the tertiary
sector. Here, we are dependent on our neighbours
in Austria and Switzerland offering attractive universities.
Fortunately, we find ourselves in an extremely good
neighbourhood with outstanding universities in the immediate
vicinity.
Given the mass immigration initiative which Switzerland
has undertaken, the issue of lack of skilled workers
comes up again and again. What significance does
education in Liechtenstein have for the national economy
and Liechtenstein as an attractive location for
doing business?
Liechtenstein’s national economy has many highly specialised
companies that require skilled workers. Consequently,
the importance of a good education system in
Liechtenstein – and in the region – for the success of
Liechtenstein’s companies and its economic location is
considerable.
Do you think that educational opportunities in the
region are sufficient to offset a possible shortage of
skilled workers which might result from the mass
immigration initiative?
In addition to compulsory education and excellent universities,
we also benefit from our sophisticated dual education
system. If young people choose not to go down the
academic route after their compulsory school education,
they can always opt for a superb professional alternative
with apprenticeships, a vocational baccalaureate and a
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