By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE Higher Education Authority (HEA) has revealed that some companies registered with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) are offering higher education services.
HEA Director General Stephen Simukanga noted that some companies registered with PACRA started offering education services before registering and being approved by HEA.
Professor Simukanga said the institution was engaging PACRA to see how they could work together and ensure that those companies that registered with them also complied and registered with HEA rules.
This is contained in a communiqué made available by HEA Information, Education and Communication Officer Birbal Musoba.
Professor Simukanga was speaking after a familiarisation meeting with PACRA officials.
“HEA held a familiarization meeting with PACRA to discuss how the organizations can harmoniously work together. The meeting aimed at finding a way of ensuring that companies that register with PACRA and seek to enter the higher education provision sector also register with HEA,” he said.
He said the problem with higher education institutions registering with PACRA only was that, there was no way of ensuring that the companies were upholding the set higher education standards.
PACRA registrar Anthony Bwembya said he was not surprised at this occurrence in the higher education sector as this had been experienced in other regulated sectors that needed more than just PACRA registration to operate.
Mr Bwembya said the occurrence was curbed in other sectors through sensitisation efforts by educating PACRA staff to be vigilant and offer additional information to companies entering the regulated sectors so that during the application process guidance was given for the need for further registration.
The institution committed to not only sensitise its members of staff but also appear together on various platforms in order to thoroughly sensitise the Zambian public and curb any institutions that might not register with both PACRA and HEA.

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