UNZA Extols HEA’s Crucial Role in Evolving Higher Education Landscape
The University of Zambia (UNZA) has praised the role that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) plays in ensuring quality in the higher education subsector and in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
This was expressed by UNZA Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Academic Affairs, Prof. Boniface Namangala, when he addressed HEA during their annual institutional audit of Zambia’s oldest and largest HEI which will take place from 2nd to 5th December, 2024.
“Your presence here underscores the collective acknowledgment within our national higher education sector that the landscape of higher education is evolving,” Prof. Namangala said, adding, “It is evolving not just in how we deliver education, but crucially in how we assure the quality of teaching and learning, Research and community engagement.”
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor was representing the Vice-Chancellor who could not attend the meeting as he was away on national duties.
Prof. Namangala stated that audits were important, particularly to UNZA whose motto is ‘Service and Excellence’ and, as such, the university welcomed the chance to be told by HEA in which areas it needed to improve to do better.
“We expect all our institutions (in Zambia) to be audited and we feel that that is a very important quality assurance activity particularly for our institution whose motto is ‘Service and Excellence’,” Prof. Namangala said, adding, “We think that we are trying our best, but tell us where we can improve. As a university we are ready and willing to be guided in areas where we are not doing well.”
Prof. Namangala stated that UNZA was more than delighted to have the institutional audit on its quality management system and procedures as it is important to keep the university in check, even as it prides itself in having one of the most comprehensive quality assurance frameworks in the country.
“As managers of the university, we are aware that the institutional audit is about the assessment of institutional policies, systems, procedures, strategies, and resources for the quality management of the core functions of teaching and learning, research and community management, including the relevant academic support services,” he said.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor stated that because of the comprehensive quality assurance framework that UNZA has it would not be possible for it to have a situation of enrolling students who do not meet the minimum entry qualifications as was found by HEA at other HEIs and made known through a press release. “The Representative of the Director-General, your recent complaint about enrolment of students without full grade 12 certificates is not a possibility at the University of Zambia because of our enrolment regulations, which are very, very clear and stringent,” Prof. Namangala concluded.
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