Education Sector in the spotlight

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 9^th 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.

This blog is not meant to portray Zambia’s education system in bad light. However, amid the melancholy, we do have the capable people and institutions to continuously improve ourselves, our education system and compete on a global level. Are we doing enough? Maybe not. Are we guarding against mediocrity? Maybe not. It cannot be business as usual when our education is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Whoever is in charge cannot allow the status quo to continue in perpetuity. HPCZ is doing their part. What of ECZ? What of HEA?


Something needs to be done, it cant be business as ussual.