Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Minister John Phiri has today unveiled the inaugural board of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) established through the higher education Act no. 4 of 2013.
The authority is tasked with examining the status of the higher education system in order to establish the context in which higher education is to operate.
Speaking when he inaugurated the board members of the authority this morning, Dr. Phiri stressed the need for the authority to work towards providing the necessary guidance to improve responsiveness of the higher education system to the changing social and economic demands of the country.
Dr.Phiri explains that the demands of the labour market have changed, hence the need for new economic and industrial settings as well as global developments particularly in science and technology.
He says the higher education sector is now required to produce graduates who are needed by new employers, who in many instances will demand skills and knowledge comparable to any other country where they operate.
Dr. Phiri has also appealed to the authority to ensure that there is equity in the provision of higher education, stating that the increase in learners seeking bursary support, given limited public resources means that not all who access bursaries are necessarily representative of the vulnerable and deserving applicants.
The Education Minister adds that it is therefore necessary to ensure as much as possible that student support systems and mechanisms towards higher education is equitable.
The board of the Higher Education Authority comprises among others Labour Commissioner Cecilia Kamanga, Angel Kaliminwa from the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ), Enock Mulembe from the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education and Sindiso Sichone from the Attorney General’s Chambers with Dr. Silane Mwenechanya as chairperson of the authority.