This directive was delivered by HEA Director-General, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, during a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, 25^th March, 2026, with Principal Officers from over 65 HEIs across the country, including Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Bursars, Librarians and Deans of Students, as defined under the Higher Education Act, 2013.

Also in attendance were journalists recently trained by HEA, signalling the growing visibility and impact of the Authority’s media engagement efforts.

Grounding the reform in law, Professor Chinsembu stated that the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, mandates the Authority to create a national student database, through which every student will be assigned an index number.

“Our goal is to prevent the notion of ghost students,” he said, emphasising that beyond compliance, the reform is about restoring integrity, traceability and confidence in the higher education system.

He explained that the database will ensure that even in cases where institutions are closed or deregistered, student records remain secure, verifiable and transferable, protecting learners from academic uncertainty.

But beyond safeguarding records, the Director-General positioned the database as a national planning tool.

“The national student database represents the most critical primordial step in developing our national human resource plan,” Professor Chinsembu stated.

By capturing enrolment trends across disciplines, the system will allow Zambia to measure whether it is producing too many or too few graduates in specific fields, addressing long-standing skills mismatches in the economy.

“Without accurate student data, it is difficult to design policies that balance the production of graduates with the actual needs of the labour market,” he said.

In a striking reflection of this imbalance, the Director-General noted that it is increasingly becoming easier to produce medical doctors than plumbers, highlighting the urgent need for data-driven interventions.

At the heart of the reform is a shift from assumption to precision.

“Data are the winds beneath our wings,” Professor Chinsembu said. “With data, we gain the power to diagnose problems in our system of higher education, measure progress and design solutions that truly work for our country.”

HEIs have been directed to submit accurate and complete student data by 30^th April, 2026, with the Authority warning that failure to comply will attract serious sanctions.

“Timely provision of accurate and complete student data is not merely an administrative obligation, but a statutory requirement that underpins effective regulation, quality assurance, and national planning,” he emphasised.

With this move, HEA is not simply collecting data, it is building a national skills intelligence system, one that will shape how Zambia plans, produces and deploys its human capital for a 24/7 economy.

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I am a man, a father, a CEO, and the Director-General of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme, “For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” I am reminded of the profound responsibility we bear—not just as leaders in higher education, but as men, as fathers, and as citizens of a nation that thrives only when its women and girls thrive.

For over three decades, I have walked the halls of academia, from the lecture rooms of the University of Zambia (UNZA) to the corridors of the University of Namibia (UNAM). I have seen the transformative power of education, not just for individuals, but for societies. And yet, I have also seen the barriers—some visible, some invisible—that have kept women and girls from fully realising their potential. Today, I stand before you not just as a leader in higher education, but as a man who has witnessed the struggles and triumphs of women in my life—my mother, my wife, my daughters, my colleagues, and my students. Their stories are not just personal; they are a reflection of the broader narrative of women in our society.

Our theme today is a call to action. It is a reminder that rights, equality, and empowerment are not just abstract ideals; they are the very foundation upon which we must build a brighter future for our nation. And higher education, as I have always believed, is the starting point for this transformation.

As the Director-General of the Higher Education Authority, I am acutely aware of the role we must play in ensuring that our institutions become spaces where women and girls are not just present, but where they are empowered to lead, to innovate, and to transform. We must move beyond the rhetoric of gender equality and take concrete steps to dismantle the systemic barriers that have held women back for far too long.

Our universities and colleges must become the vanguard of this change. We must reimagine our curricula, our policies, and our practices to ensure that they are inclusive, equitable, and empowering. We must create environments where women and girls feel safe, supported, and inspired to pursue their dreams. This is not just a moral imperative; it is an economic necessity. A nation that fails to harness the full potential of half of its population is a nation that is destined to fall behind.

As a CEO, I understand the importance of leadership in driving change. The Higher Education Authority is committed to leading by example. We are working to ensure that our policies and programs are gender-responsive, that our funding models support initiatives that empower women and girls, and that our institutions are held accountable for promoting gender equality. We are also working to increase the representation of women in leadership positions within our universities and colleges. Because we know that when women lead, everyone benefits.

As a man, I recognise the role that men must play in this journey. We must be allies, advocates, and champions for the rights of women and girls. We must challenge the stereotypes and cultural norms that perpetuate inequality. We must teach our sons to respect and value women, not as subordinates, but as equals. And we must lead by example, in our homes, in our workplaces, and in our communities.

As a father, I am deeply invested in the future of the daughters of our nation. I want them to grow up in a world where their gender does not determine their opportunities, where their dreams are not limited by societal expectations, and where their voices are heard and valued. I want them to know that they can be anything they aspire to be—scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, leaders. And I want them to know that their education is the key to unlocking their potential.

Furthermore, this dream I have for every girl in Zambia is for the young woman who dreams of becoming a doctor, for the mother who wants to go back to school, for the girl in a rural village who aspires to be a teacher. We owe it to them to create a higher education system that is inclusive, equitable, and empowering.

Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, let us recommit ourselves to this vision. Let us work together to ensure that every woman and girl in Zambia has the opportunity to access quality education, to pursue her dreams, and to contribute to the development of our nation. Let us build a future where rights, equality, and empowerment are not just ideals, but realities.

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The year 2025 has just started for many organisations. As a way of setting the 2025 agenda in motion, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on Monday 13^th January, 2025, set up a virtual meeting with all principal officers of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Zambia. This meeting was addressed by the Director-General of HEA, Professor Kazhila Croffat Chinsembu.

While it was clear that the HEIs appreciated such a beginning, the clarity with which Professor Chinsembu spoke and set the goals for 2025 caught the attention of everyone. Calm, eloquent, and yet so assertive was his tone.

After this meeting, a number of those that attended the meeting phoned me appreciating how Professor Chinsembu had quickly settled and established his authority in the higher education subsector. This was heartwarming.

However, there was nothing surprising to those of us that have always known Professor Chinsembu’s passion for the higher education subsector. To many of us from the day, it was clear that he was the one coming to take the HEA top job, we knew that the sector had gotten itself the finest it could get. Like John the Baptist, we had to speak about the greater person who was coming and the need to clear his path.

Walking through this clear path, Professor Chinsembu has not disappointed. He has seamlessly fitted in the institution and the sector as a whole. This is so because he is a true champion of quality education. His unwavering commitment to strict institutional registration and accreditation of learning programmes.

Read the latest Newsletter here: https://hea.org.zm/download/hea-newsletter-wed-18th-december-2024/

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Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website, www.hea.org.zm, for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

Professor Chinsembu stated that university research must provide empirical answers to the many questions surrounding the current shortage of electricity in Zambia.

“The declining supply of electricity presents a yawning opportunity for higher education to put its best foot forward,” Professor Chinsembu said, adding, “The electricity shortage has created a crisis in the quality of higher education. We urge universities to address the impacts of electricity supply shortages on the quality of higher education.”

The Director-General further stated that universities could convert their car parks into solar farms and convert garbage into biogas for cooking.

“Universities should become the panacea to the many economic challenges that we face as a sub-region,” he said, continuing, “Quality assurance must define the new purpose of higher education in Southern Africa which should unravel the new mission of our quality assurance systems in order to chart a new path for higher education in Southern Africa.”

Professor Chinsembu added that the future of higher education in Southern Africa should understand the challenges of technological deprivation and address the facets of digital poverty.

“Universities should embrace digital transformation, adapt e-learning platforms to rural communities, and build virtual campuses that promote access to quality higher education in technologically-starved communities that live on the fringes of ICT infrastructure and services,” Professor Chinsembu said.

The Director-General made this call when he gave remarks during the opening ceremony of the 6^th Southern African Quality Assurance Network (SAQAN) Conference which was held at Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa, Livingstone.

The 6^th SAQAN Conference was held from 25^th to 27^th September, 2024, with the theme of “Strengthening and Harmonising Quality Assurance in the SADC Region and Beyond through Sharing Experiences and Good Practices.”

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We welcome you all to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) stand in the Showgrounds.

At the present-day HEA, our aim is to create a new paradigm in the provision of higher education in Zambia. We want to forge a new path for our higher education system.

We would like to redefine and re-conceptualise the purpose of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the context of our country’s socioeconomic challenges.

We would like to become the inflection point for change, the nexus for transformation, and the catalyst for the reform of our higher education architecture.

We have not come here with modest ideas. As a matter of fact, we would like to pitch the next big idea for our universities and other tertiary education institutions.

In doing so, we would like to point our higher education landscape to a new order and value system of professorial promotions.

Since taking up the office of Director-General on 22^nd April, 2024, we have been agonising over the quality of professors, especially in private universities. We have to be frank about this blight on our system of higher education.

We have now arrived at the conclusion that the sacred duty to protect the integrity of our professorial ranks from masquerades can no longer be postponed.

Nothing should come in the way of protecting the integrity and honesty of our higher education architecture, and this includes our personal ambitions to be called professor.

Our role now is to defend the erudition, scholarship and merit that define the due process of promotion to the prestigious rank of professor, and to speak against those who want to falsify their way into these prestigious ranks that are hallmarks of academic rigour and excellence.

Professorship is a revered academic rank. It is the preserve of high-grade academics who have distinguished themselves through teaching, research and publications.

Professorship is not granted on compassionate grounds.

Our country shall improve when bold thinking is directed at our toughest problems. This will not happen unless we stand on the shoulders of rarely skilled academics who are genuine professors.

At the present-day HEA, our role is to refocus the attention of our institutions of higher education to the pursuit of relevant knowledge for national development, knowledge that is viable, and knowledge that is convertible into novel goods and services, to help double our economy by the year 2031.

Professor Kazhila Chinsembu
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
HIGHER EDUCATION AUTHORITY (HEA)

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Pass through the HEA Stand at the 96^th Agriculture and Commercial Show and get a tour of the Stand to see how the Authority is “Creating a Competitive Future through Ensuring Quality in Higher Education.” We are found at stand F7 near the ZNBC Stand.

Professor Chinsembu said this on Monday, 15^th July, 2024, when he was paid a courtesy call at his office by the Christian Colleges and Universities Association (CCUA).

Professor Chinsembu stated that he had reiterated this message to public universities as well when he gave his maiden address which focused on transformation of university education during a meeting with Vice-Chancellors of public universities at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Thursday, 25^th April, 2024.

“One of the things that we highlighted (at the meeting with Vice-Chancellors) is that we are in a moral and ethical emergency and, as such, we need to have courses in morality and ethics at 1^st year of university and these need to be compulsory to all our students that enter university,” Professor Chinsembu said.

The Director-General stated that this guidance was given in order to address the moral and ethical decay not only in the higher education subsector, but in the Zambian society at large.

“So, we are hoping that the higher education system can contribute to the remedial actions that we seek for ourselves as a society and a nation,” he said.

The Director-General further stated that many of the social, political, ethical and moral challenges that are faced by the Zambian society are due to the dysfunction of higher education.

“We want to use higher education to correct and cure this problem,” he said, continuing, “therefore, we look forward to your efforts as an association and all the (Higher Education) Institutions under your umbrella of Christian Colleges and Universities Association as you are very important in providing the impetus that we require to instil values that support the fight against corruption and the fight against moral decay.”

The CCUA delegation was led by the Chairperson of the Association and the Founding Chancellor of African Christian University, Dr. Conrad Mbewe.

Dr. Mbewe was accompanied by the Ambassador-At-Large and Founding Chairperson of the Association, Dr. Lazarus Phiri.

Additional reading:

Read the Director-General’s Maiden Address on Transformation of University Education here:

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website, www.hea.org.zm, for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

Following his appointment as the new Director-General of HEA, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu has not yet had a chance to meet with all the Vice-Chancellors of private universities and Principals of private university colleges in Zambia. Thus, the Breakfast Meeting will provide the opportunity for the Director-General to do so.

During the breakfast meeting, Vice-Chancellors and Principals will have a chance to interact with the Director-General in a planned Interactive Question and Answer Session.

The Breakfast Meeting is sponsored by Astria Learning Zambia.

Astria Learning Zambia is one of the leading Educational Technology Solutions Providers offering full scale implementation and hosting of enterprise level learning environments that make it easy for institutions to manage courses, track student progress and easily deliver engaging content to learners, anytime, anywhere.

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website, www.hea.org.zm, for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

Ambassador Munshya pledged his support for higher education during dinner he had with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Director General Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu and Director Quality Assurance Dr. Martin Mushumba at Avani Victoria Falls Resort on 28th June, 2024.

The HEA Director General, Professor Chinsembu used this dinner opportunity to discuss the possibilities of attracting support in the higher education subsector from Australia and New Zealand.

Ambassador Munshya observed that both Australia and New Zealand had a lot of outstanding Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that would be willing to expand and establish their base in Zambia. He further indicated that he would work tirelessly to ensure that he facilitated any such university that could want to set up in Zambia.

“I am going to assign my First Secretary in Charge of Education the special role of creating a strong linkage between Zambia’s higher education subsector and that of Australia and New Zealand in order to attract the targeted investments and build strong collaborations that will see increased support to Zambia’s higher education institutions in key areas such as research and development, staff development, and student exchanges,” he said. He also noted that, “there is an urgent need for Zambia to leverage the good relationship that the country shares with Australia and New Zealand to draw support towards the higher education sector.”

Ambassador Munshya appreciated the strides that HEA had made in raising the standards of education in Zambia and offered to facilitate collaboration with similar bodies in Australia and New Zealand in order to facilitate for knowledge exchange.

“The Authority could benefit a lot from their Australian and New Zealand counterparts by learning how they have managed to keep their higher education sector at such a competitive level, which was globally recognised,” the High Commissioner concluded. The HEA could be headed for unprecedented ties with Australia and New Zealand following the Higher Commissioner’s pledge. The development would benefit the higher education sector to gain global competitiveness and recognition.

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website, www.hea.org.zm, for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

The delegation from HEA was led by the Chairperson of the Board of the Authority, Prof. Levy Siaminwe, who was formally presenting and introducing the Director-General to the Minister.

Addressing the delegation, the Honourable Minister congratulated the Director-General on his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of HEA, emphasising that it was now time to take higher education on another level.

Mr. Syakalima stated that there were a lot of expectations on Professor Chinsembu and that the Director-General was expected to address the concerns of the declining higher education standards in the country.

Mr. Syakalima further thanked the Board Chairperson and the HEA Management and Staff for having held down the fort as they waited for the Director-General to be found and for him to take up the position. 

Professor Chinsembu was appointed as the Director-General of HEA on 22^nd April, 2024. 

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This was stated by HEA Director-General, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, when he was responding to a question from University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU). The Authority had invited UNZALARU to a meeting on Friday, 17^th May, 2024, in HEA’s Boardroom in an effort to change the culture of looking at the Union as an adversary.

During the meeting, UNZALARU was seeking clarity between the roles of HEA and HPCZ in the regulation of health learning programmes in higher education as the Union found it difficult to know which regulatory body was in charge.

“The bottom line is that the Higher Education Authority has the overall, legal mandate to regulate even those (learning) programmes that fall under the Health Professions Council of Zambia,” Professor Chinsembu said, adding, “So from my office, the only remark that I have made officially is that the Health Professions Council of Zambia should toe the line.”

However, the Director-General clarified that he did not want to create conflict and bottlenecks between HEA and HPCZ because it is not good for one government institution to start attacking another government institution.

Professor Chinsembu further clarified that working with HPCZ was of paramount importance to HEA. He continued by stating that this collaboration was mandated by the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021. He noted that there was a draft MoU which was developed by both institutions which, when signed, would operationalise the working relationship with HPCZ.

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website, www.hea.org.zm, for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.