“Always Check Before You Enrol as Unregistered Institutions Remain a Risk” – Professor Chinsembu Warns Students
The Director-General of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, has issued a direct warning to prospective students across Zambia that before enrolling in any college or university, they should verify that the institution is registered and that the programme is accredited, or risk wasting years and money on qualifications that will not be recognised.
The caution came during a live interview on Choma Maanu Radio Station 95.1FM on Friday, 22nd May, 2026, as part of the Director-General’s stakeholder engagement tour of Southern Province under HEA’s Strategic Plan 2022–2026. The Authority’s engagement with communities is a central part of how it fulfils its mandate to protect students, not only through regulation and inspection, but through direct public education.
“Students should always check our website,” Professor Chinsembu said, adding, “We have a gazette of registered higher education institutions for 2026 and we produce this gazette every year. We also have a gazette of the accredited programmes.”
The Director-General’s message was clear and practical: two checks, every time. First, confirm that the institution is registered by the HEA. Second, confirm that the specific programme, whether a certificate, diploma, bachelor’s, or master’s, is accredited.
“A prospective student must always make sure that the programme is accredited,” he said, continuing, “These are the two most important things, the institution must be registered and the programme must be accredited.”
The warning reflects one of HEA’s core functions as the Authority conducts surveillance operations to detect and act against illegal colleges operating without registration, institutions that can ensnare students who have no way of knowing they are enrolling somewhere unrecognised.
Therefore, by taking the message to radio audiences in Choma and surrounding districts, Professor Chinsembu extended that protection beyond the institutions HEA directly inspects and into the hands of the public.
The HEA’s full gazette of registered institutions and accredited programmes is available on the Authority’s official website, here: https://hea.org.zm/downloads/gazette-notice-2/.
Listen to Professor Chinsembu’s full 1 hour interview on Choma Maanu Radio Station 95.1FM here: https://youtu.be/GR7mABU7UC8.
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