Honoured during the virtual ceremony were Mr. Prince Phiri, the Office Assistant, and Mr. Julius Phiri, the Driver. Mr. Prince Phiri was awarded in recognition for his long service and hard work, whilst Mr. Julius Phiri was awarded in recognition for his hard work and innovativeness.

Speaking as he gave his keynote address, HEA Director General, Prof. Stephen Simukanga, commended the two (2) employees, noting that the dedication of the Authority in “Ensuring Quality in Higher Education” could only be achieved when the Authority’s vision was implemented by the members of staff to a degree of excellence that the 2 Mr. Phiris had done so exceptionally well.

“Mr. Prince Phiri and Mr. Julius Phiri have exemplified the qualities that HEA wants to see in all its employees: namely, honesty, integrity, confidentiality, transparency, team work, courtesy, and commitment,” Prof. Simukanga said.

Anecdotally, the Director General pointed out that apart from himself and the Director Quality Assurance, Dr. Vitalicy Chifwepa, Mr. Prince Phiri was the longest serving employee at the Authority. He further pointed out that Mr. Julius Phiri was fondly referred to as an “unofficial inspector” because of his diligence in noting and bringing to the attention of the Authority institutions that operate without registering with the Authority.

The Director General stated that as HEA recognised the outstanding contribution of the 2 exceptional employees, he hoped that this would inspire both Management and Staff to strive to be better so that HEA’s mandate could be implemented with continued vigour in this “new normal.”

Prof. Simukanga stressed the need for recognising employees in the “new normal” and encourage these efforts so that everyone at HEA could be inspired and motivated to do more.

“Given the ‘new normal’ and the importance of our role in ensuring the quality of education and, as such, continuing to execute our duties with care, it is only right to recognise and applaud the efforts that the employees of the Authority are putting in,” he said.

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