HEA, ZAQA Strengthen Collaboration to Harmonise Higher Education Standards
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA) have taken a decisive step towards strengthening collaboration in the regulation of higher education, following an engagement meeting held today in the HEA Boardroom in Lusaka.
The meeting focused on enhancing coordination, resolving operational grey areas, and ensuring that both regulators speak with one voice in guiding Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Speaking during the engagement, HEA Director – Quality Assurance, Dr. Martin Mushumba, emphasised the urgency and importance of sustained interaction between the two (2) institutions.
“The two institutions must be interacting, and we must be talking the same language, so that we agree on a number of things that need to be done in our sector,” Dr. Mushumba said.
The Director – Quality Assurance noted that the meeting, though long overdue, marked the beginning of more structured and frequent engagements aimed at strengthening regulatory clarity and improving service delivery to the sector.
“This is not the last time we are meeting. We must actually be having meetings time and again to look at how we can manage the sector together,” he said.
On the part of ZAQA, Director – Qualification Services, Mr. Fedelis Cheelo, framed the engagement as a necessary step in aligning institutions that serve the same public interest.
“It is indeed very important that once in a while we share notes and see where the members of the public that we serve tend to have interest and how best we can help them achieve their interests,” Mr. Cheelo said.
At the heart of the discussions were practical issues affecting HEIs, including programme pathways and areas where institutions require clearer guidance. Both HEA and ZAQA acknowledged that such grey areas can only be resolved through deliberate collaboration and continuous dialogue.
The engagement signals a renewed commitment by government institutions to operate in a coordinated manner, ensuring that quality assurance, qualifications recognition and regulatory processes are seamless, consistent and responsive to the needs of the higher education subsector.
This approach reflects a broader “whole-of-government” philosophy, where institutions work collectively, not in silos, to deliver effective services for the people of Zambia.
More updates and key outcomes from this engagement will be shared in the HEA Newsletter, therefore, follow and subscribe to stay updated on how HEA continues to work with stakeholders to strengthen higher education in Zambia: https://zc.vg/w2f1Z.
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