Digital Transformation Is No Longer Optional, Professor Chinsembu Tells HEIs
Higher Education Authority (HEA) Director-General, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, has called on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to embrace digital transformation and artificial intelligence as part of strengthening curriculum quality, institutional accountability and the future of higher education in Zambia.
Professor Chinsembu was speaking yesterday during the official opening of the 2026 Winter School Capacity Building Workshop for HEIs at Chrismar Hotel in Livingstone.
The workshop, which runs from 15th to 17th July, 2026, is being held under the theme, “Strengthening higher education curriculum quality through quality assurance in the era of digital transformation and artificial intelligence.”
The Director-General said higher education is undergoing unprecedented transformation and that institutions must not treat digital change as a distant conversation, but as an immediate institutional responsibility.
“We meet at a time when higher education is undergoing unprecedented transformation,” Professor Chinsembu said. “Advances in artificial intelligence, digital technology, the growth of online and blended learning, changing labour market demands, internationalization of higher education, and the increasing expectations of students and employers are reshaping the higher education landscape.”
He said HEIs must use the Winter School to reflect seriously on how digital systems, AI, curriculum reform and quality assurance can work together to improve teaching, learning, assessment, governance and student outcomes.
Professor Chinsembu further urged institutions to strengthen internal quality assurance systems, improve governance, promote innovation, enhance student support services and ensure that academic programmes remain relevant to the needs of society and the economy.
“The ultimate purpose of quality assurance is to serve our students,” he said. “Every policy we formulate, every audit we conduct, every accreditation decision we make, and every improvement initiative we implement should contribute to providing students with a high-quality educational experience.”
The Director-General said that the discussions and recommendations emerging from the Winter School should help shape a stronger, more resilient and more competitive higher education sector for Zambia, making the message was clear that digital transformation should not replace quality assurance but strengthen it.
Download DG’s Speech: https://hea.org.zm/download/opening-remarks-by-hea-director-general-at-winter-school-2026/
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A shared commitment to quality: Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, HEA Director-General, joins members of the high table, Vice-Chancellors, the keynote speaker, HEA Management and staff for a group photo following the official opening of the 2026 Winter School Capacity Building Workshop.
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