HEA Embarks on Nationwide Sensitisation and Consultation Workshops
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has embarked on nationwide sensitisation and consultation workshops that are aimed at sensitising Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, and consulting on the new Statutory Instrument and Regulatory Impact Assessment.
These series of workshops were launched on 1st March, 2022, at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, with the first workshop targeting Lusaka and Eastern Provinces. The workshops will continue in the subsequent fortnight with further workshops planned in Ndola and Mpika which will target Copperbelt and North-Western Provinces, and Luapula, Muchinga, Central and Northern Provinces, respectively.
In the picture, (L-R), a representative from the Directory of Standards in Ministry of Education; Dr. Vitalicy Chifwepa, Director – Quality Assurance, HEA; Mr. Brian Makufele, Principal Officer – University Education, Ministry of Education; and, Mr. Lazarous Kalirani, Ministry of Education.
The Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, has expanded the Authority’s mandate and, as such, HEA has embarked on these sensitisation workshops in order to inform all the HEIs on the status quo of the higher education subsector as a result of the Amendment Act.
Furthermore, the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, has brought colleges that were previously regulated by other bodies under the oversight of the Authority. Thus, HEA is using these series of workshops to sensitise these colleges about the its mandate and operations.
Moreover, in order to operationalise the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, HEA has been facilitating, for the Ministry of Education, the development of a Statutory Instrument by the Ministry of Justice. Thus, the Authority is consulting all stakeholders on the Statutory Instrument and its implications.
Additionally, HEA is presenting at these workshops the results of the Regulatory Impact Assessment which it conducted in conjunction with the Business Regulatory Review Agency on the impact of the regulations on HEIs.
Thus, by the end of these series workshops, HEA will ensure that it has sensitised and consulted all its relevant stakeholders drawn from all the 10 provinces on the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, and the new Statutory Instrument and Regulatory Impact Assessment, respectively.
