HEA Director – Quality Assurance Names the Three Things Institutions Keep Missing Which Lead to Learning Programmes Rejection

The Director – Quality Assurance at the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Dr. Martin Mushumba, has identified three (3) major reasons why learning programmes are commonly rejected during accreditation, which are a defective curriculum, unsuitable staff and inadequate facilities.

Dr. Mushumba made the remarks during his appearance on the ZNBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, where he was discussing the ongoing Accreditation Window running from 1^st April to 31^st May, 2026. The programme was hosted by Ms. Mable Knight, the show’s producer, and Mr. Bonface Chansa Mukopa, her visually impaired co-host.

Responding to a question on the mistakes institutions make when submitting programmes for accreditation, Dr. Mushumba said the starting point must always be whether the programme itself is worth offering and whether it can genuinely contribute to Zambia’s development.

He explained that the first issue is the curriculum.

“The first thing I would look at is how competitive is this curriculum that you’ve brought? How aligned is it to the national development goals of our country, the Eighth National Development Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Vision 2030?” he said.

The second issue, he noted, is staffing.

“Do they have the right people to teach?” he asked, stressing that institutions must not only submit staff lists, but ensure that the staff are suitably qualified in the right field to teach the programme.

The third recurring issue is infrastructure and teaching resources.

“Resources, infrastructure… teaching and learning resources that do not correspond to the expectation of this particular programme,” he said, warning that where these key elements do not align, “the programme is going to be rejected.”

The remarks provide a practical and timely reminder to institutions now that the accreditation window is open, especially those preparing submissions.

The interview is another clear result of the Summer School Media Training Workshop, which has directly contributed to the Authority’s growing media presence and deeper public engagement on higher education issues.

The public response to the show was so strong that the Authority has already been invited back this week on Thursday, 16^th April, 2026, at 07:30hrs, after an enormous number of calls could not be attended to within the available time.

HEA therefore reminds all HEIs that the Accreditation Window remains open until 31^st May, 2026, and institutions are strongly encouraged to submit all unaccredited programmes before the deadline. For support on submissions, institutions may contact accreditation@hea.org.zm or visit www.hea.org.zm.

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