EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR KAZHILA C. CHINSEMBU AS DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION AUTHORITY
Issued by Prof. Levy Siaminwe
Chairperson of the Board
Higher Education Authority
The Board of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) is pleased to announce the appointment of distinguished academic and scholar, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, as the Director-General for the Authority effective 22nd April, 2024.
The appointment of Professor Chinsembu was done in accordance with section 5.1.7 of the Higher Education Authority Terms and Conditions of Service Policy on recruitment process and procedure, and the provisions of the Higher Education Act, 2013 Part II Section 8 (1), which states that the Board shall, with the approval of the Minister, appoint a Director-General on such terms and conditions as it may determine.
Professor Chinsembu is a holder of a Postgraduate Degree (PhD) in Science Education, a Master’s of Science (MSc) in Tropical Molecular Biology, and a Bachelor of Science in Education (BSc. Ed) majoring in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry.
Furthermore, Professor Chinsembu also has a number of short course certifications in Quality Assurance, including “Preparing for Institutional Quality Audits and Learning Programme Accreditation – Towards the Quest for Quality Higher Education and Training in Namibia” which was offered in 2022 by the Centre for Quality Assurance Management (CEQUAM), in collaboration with the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE); “Institutional Quality Assurance Requirements and Regulations of Statutory National Quality Assurance for Short Courses” which was offered by the University of Namibia (UNAM) in 2022; “Outline Internal Quality Assurance Mechanisms for the Design and Implementation of Short Courses” which was offered in 2022; and, “Application for Learning Programme Accreditation” which was offered by the Centre for Quality Assurance Management and the University of Namibia in 2021, among others.
Professor Chinsembu has vast experience in university education having spent 28 years of unbroken service in the university sphere both in Zambia and the subregion. He worked as a lecturer at the University of Zambia (UNZA) from 1996 to 2002. Thereafter, he joined the University of Namibia in August 2002, where he was serving as Professor of Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery at the time of his appointment as Director-General.
Moreover, Professor Chinsembu served as Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Lusaka (UNILUS) in the School of Health Sciences from 2012 to 2017, and was a Visiting Professor (by invitation) at the Centre of Excellency in Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Westville Campus, in Durban, South Africa in 2015.
In addition, Professor Chinsembu has been an external examiner at many universities including University of Fort Hare, University of Johannesburg, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, North-West University, and Rhodes University. Further, he has served on a number of Senate and University Committees at University of Namibia.
There is no doubt that Professor Chinsembu brings relevant experience including extensive exposure in the higher education sector, competencies in academic leadership which include serving in university senate and various academic committees. Further, Professor Chinsembu brings with him proficiency in protocols for academic learning programme design and senate approval, technical knowhow in self-evaluation reporting, learning programme viability audit, accreditation of academic learning programmes, best practices in university curriculum transformation, knowledge of internal and external quality assurance systems, teaching in both private and public universities, and teaching and research in local, subregional and international universities.
The Board of the Higher Education Authority has confidence that Professor Chinsembu will successfully deliver on the expanded mandate of the Higher Education Authority as contained in the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, to include all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Research Institutes in Zambia, and achieve a competitive higher education sector fit for purpose in the 21st Century and for Zambia’s national development agenda.
Downloads
- PDF copy of the FULL Press Release from the Chairperson of the Board of the Higher Education Authority, Prof. Levy Siaminwe: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oSnGWRGBbPuKr8qXstu08UBrXT0gVyX_/view?usp=sharing
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