Early childhood education and care (programmes for children below four years of age)

Responsible bodies

Care facilities and services for children below the age of four belong to the fields of social and family policy and are under the responsibility of the Office of Social Services.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

The Ordinance on the non home-based Care Services for Children and Young People regulates the procedures for approval of foster care of children in private settings, the procedures for approval and the requirements regarding the management of childcare facilities as well as their supervision.

The Office of Social Services is obliged to visit the settings of children and young people in care regarding quality assurance as often as possible, and at least once a year; the same applies comprehensively to all child care facilities.

Within the Directives for the Approval and Supervision of non-home-based Childcare Services the Office of Social Services examines if the necessary prerequisites are fulfilled before giving their assent.

The national association Childcare Switzerland (kibesuisse), of which Liechtenstein is also a member, promotes the qualitative and quantitative expansion of childcare for families. In some cases, it defines quality standards and recommendations that go beyond the cantonal and communal regulations and advocates for their implementation among its members. Important guidelines concern, for example, care in day care centres and in day families. These guidelines often also serve as a basis for the development or renewal of cantonal and communal regulations.

The daycare centres of the Liechtenstein Daycare Centres Association have been awarded the Swiss quality label 'QualiKita'. This was launched by kibesuisse together with the Jacobs Foundation in 2013. QualiKita focuses on process and orientation quality. With this label, a national standard was set for the first time. 

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Kindergarten, primary and secondary education (lower / upper secondary)

Planning and implementation of internal evaluation are part of the individual school's responsibilities. External evaluation is planned and implemented under the supervision of the Office of Education. 

Responsible bodies

Supervision of the complete education system is the responsibility of the state. The aspects of quality assurance are implemented by the education institutions and by the state authorities.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Methods and instruments of quality assurance are defined in the Guidelines for Quality Assurance and Development in the Liechtenstein Education System. This guide is currently being revised and is therefore only partially in use.

The following lists and illustrates the main methods and instruments.

External evaluation:

External evaluation is planned and implemented by the Office of Education. 

State, Office of Education:

Evaluation of the schools is part of an overall strategy for quality assurance in the school system. A major part of quality assurance with regard to the pedagogical and administrative tasks of the individual schools is usually implemented by procedures, laws or ordinances that are input-oriented and applicable across the schools.

The Office of Education is responsible for the consolidation and the advancement of the educational system at the state schools. This particularly includes staff policy (initial evaluation of teachers is taking place during the job interview) as well as educational controlling (School Law, Art. 106).

Inspectorate:

External evaluation of the schools and teachers is taking place via the statutory inspections. Inspectors at Kindergarten, primary and lower secondary schools are subordinated to the Office of Education. Supervisory body at the Gymnasium and at the Vocational Baccalaureate School is the Teaching Commission that is composed of various external experts. It advises the Office of Education, the school management, teacher departments as well as individual teachers and has supervisory function at classroom visits regarding the quality of lessons and teachers.

The Teaching Commission particularly considers if teaching in the various subjects is appropriate to fulfill the curriculum in pedagogical and methodological regards.

The Teaching Commission further examines whether student assessment and student promotion conform to standards at Swiss and Austrian baccalaureate schools.

The design of the inspectorate helps to consider quality assurance at schools and in the teaching process. Inspectors cooperate with the school administrations and are obliged to make a formal interview with all the teachers every two years. In a detailed conversation the teacher and her or his direct supervisor evaluate the teacher's achievements.

External evaluations at schools are being carried out by the Pedagogical Division of the Office of Education roughly every five years.

Internal evaluation:

Planning processes and the implementation of internal evaluation are the individual school's own responsibility, it is the institution itself that chooses topics and approaches. Basic documents are the school’s mission statement and the annual programme. Further criteria include classroom management, lesson structure and observation of lessons.

School Level:

At school level it is the responsibility of staff and the school's management to consider issues of internal evaluation. They decide on the relevant approaches and methods.

Lesson Level:

At the lesson level the teachers are obliged to perform self-evaluation in cooperation with the school's management and the relevant inspectors.

Vocational education and training (VET)

Responsible bodies

Supervision of vocational education and training is carried out by the Office of Vocational Training and Career Counselling. The educational part of dual training, vocational education at school as well as professional tertiary education (ISCED 5B) are performed at Swiss institutions and are therefore the responsibility of these authorities.

In addition, the concept of VET includes an obligation of internal quality assurance for the providers of vocational training.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Companies intending to offer apprenticeships must be approved. They place an application in this respect at the Office of Vocational Training and Career Counselling. Future vocational trainers have to undergo specific training in order to qualify for the training of apprentices. The Law on Vocational Education and Training obliges the providers of training of professional practice or rather the training companies to guarantee the ongoing quality development.

Two instruments for the quality assessment of the VET companies and for the evaluation of inter-company courses are represented in QualiCarte and QualüK.

The learning objectives are prescribed in the relevant ordinances. The learning progress of the apprentices are regularly assessed by the providers of VET (training company and school).