This
post is hitting my blog after over a year of the last post. In the period
between, I have written a lot of pieces that I haven’t put up.
However,
the events of the last few weeks in the Zambian education sector couldn’t go un
noticed without a comment. I would say Zambia definitely needs a total review
of the education system. Well, to begin with the issue of examination papers
leaking and finding themselves in the hands of students and pupils has been
prevalent for the better part of the last 25 years. That is me being modest. In
short, examination paper leakages before the examination date has been a
problem which as Zambian society as a whole we have paid a blind eye to, with
grave consequences.
Each
year there are murmurs of examination leakages but no one (especially the
authorities), does anything about it. This is how we got to the situation this
year where even online publications like the Zambia Watchdog got their hand on
these examination papers and even dared to publish them online. It’s such a
shame that the grades seven, nine and twelve examinations had to be suspended
as new papers were being prepared. To add salt to injury, there is still no
guarantee that the new papers did not also leak.
In
the aftermath of this, Police in Lusaka Copperbelt and Southern provinces
arrested a total of 16 people initially in connection with the leaked 2018
grade 7, 9 and 12 examination paper. Those arrested included teachers and
pupils. There were to be further arrests in the same provinces later on. But
questions lingered and still linger to this day, were those the only ones? I
doubt it. Why were there not any officers from the Examinations Council of
Zambia (ECZ)? We all know that the body in charge of examinations in Zambia is
the ECZ, hence any failures in the examinations system and process or indeed
any mile stone must be attributed to this body.
The
truth is that the ECZ has been failing for 25 years and possibly more and we
have not asked them to account for this failure. This is the main reason this
vice has perpetuated. What are the KPI’s for the ECZ Director? How often is the
ECZ Director and his top executives appraised? What are the results of those
appraisals? How many people have been penalised as a result of these appraisals?
Has the ECZ management over the years brought new innovations or even introduced new controls
to the examination process and system in Zambia? All organisations do periodic
reviews of their systems and controls to ensure process improvements. Maybe not
the ECZ.
In
the midst of all this educational malady, there is one organisation that
ensures great quality control, in the education standards, quality and practice
of its professionals - the Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ). HPCZ has been in the news for the last few years with reports of quality control
inspections. On 9th November 2018, HPCZ released a statement signed
by its Chief Executive Officer/Registrar Dr Aaron Mujajati, to the effect that
it had withdrawn recognition and approval of programmes at the Copperbelt
University School of Medicine.
The
HPCZ withdrew recognition and approval of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of
Surgery (MBChB) and the Bachelor of Dental Surgery after a compliance
monitoring inspection revealed gross over-enrolment of students and inadequate
number of lecturers, engaging unregistered and unlicensed lecturers that are
health practitioners and failure to index students. The HPCZ argued that it
cannot guarantee the safety of the public once such students graduate and are
employed at health institutions.
The
Copperbelt University was not the first institution to face the wrath of HPCZ.
Other institutions including the Lusaka Apex Medical University had also gone
through the same. It was only after Lusaka Apex Medical University rectified
whatever shortcomings they had did the HPCZ rescind its decision. A number of
institutions among them the hugely popular Lusaka private hospital, Fairview Hospital were closed down for being found with expired drugs in their
dispensary and not having enough full time employed resident medical doctors.
It is
easy to lax standards and be lenient with the Copperbelt University (CBU) School of
Medicine as it is relatively new. On the other hand, and as the stance taken by
HPCZ, the best time to maintain high standards and flush out mediocrity is right at the begining. It will be easier for the CBU School of Medicine to maintain high standards in future if they comply right when
starting. It is easy for standard to be lost and even fall below those of the
University Of Zambia School Of Medicine which has been in existence for many
years. Kudos to HPCZ.
One
other thing HPCZ is doing in maintaining high standards, they have recently
introduced Professional Licensure Examinations as a quality assurance mechanism
for the assessment of skills and competencies of all health professionals
before they are registered to practice. Before HPCZ introduced these
examinations, only the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) would hold such
assessments before admitting new lawyers to the bar. Of course it’s debatable
if all professional bodies need to examine graduates before licensing them, but if
one who is to represent clients in a court room is getting examined then the one who
is going to work with human life needs all the more examining to ensure that
they are really competent. With these examination paper leakages, you may never
know how they graduated. That is assuming at that level of licensure there is
no leakage.
The
HPCZ ‘closing down’ the medical programmes at The Copperbelt University (CBU) did
not go down well in some quarters, with sections of society condemning HPCZ for
being overzealous. This wasn’t an issue with me. But the reaction of the Higher
Education Authority (HEA), was a big issue with me. The HEA held a separate
press conference at which they annulled the suspension of the medical
programmes at CBU and cited acts of parliament to try to convince the public
that they are the only body that can withdraw and approve programmes at
Institutions of higher learning in Zambia.
This
position by the HEA was highly flawed because what they forgot is that HPCZ and
HEA are both statutory bodies established by two separate Acts of Parliament,
thus the two are independent bodies with different interests. Therefore one
cannot overrule the other. HPCZ has been making strides as a body with interest
of ensuring quality education of health professionals. HEA on the other hand is
a sleeping elephant as the standard of higher education keep on nose diving.
Registration of substandard colleges and Universities is the order of the day.
At this point I can safely say HEA is sleeping. Even the Zambia Qualifications
Authority (ZAQA), is much more awake.
ZAQA
is a good thing, but is lacking direction mainly for the reason that it is much
or less a carbon copy of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
They need to find their own space and redefine themselves more in order to be
relevant much more like HPCZ has done. HEA in their current form and format is
not adding any value to our education system. Recently there have been reports
in the local and foreign space suggesting that Zambian Universities have been
reclassified to college level status. To date, I have not heard a statement
from HEA. The only statements came from academicians Dr Lubinda Habazoka and
Professor Oliver Saasa.
The
statement from Professor Saasa however inadequate, at least he was magnanimous
enough to comment while those at the helm of HEA and the minister of Higher
education remained mute. Of course it wasn’t good enough to give a statement
that Oxford University did not only downgrade Zambia’s Universities but five
other African countries. We are not going to find solace in the fact that even
5 other African countries are doing badly and lagging behind in the education
sector.
Something needs to be done, it cant be business as ussual.
