Nine training institutions, including one student agency have been shut down by the Technical Educational Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) for operating without a trade test certificate.
TEVETA Manager for Corporate affairs Clive Siachiyako says the institutions and the agency will be reported to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), for the offence of misleading the learners and the masses that they are registered under TEVETA.
Speaking after he visited one illegal training institution, Pascal Operating Training institute in Ndola district, Mr. Siachiyako said the school has been stealing and misleading the learners that it operates legally.
“This school has been warned several times but has not adhered to the warning that is why we want the law to take its course.
They offer mining courses without equipment and charge K8, 000 for a short course,” he explained.
And Mr. Siachiyako has called on offices handling the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to be weary of illegal training institutions that want to obtain loans from them on false pretence.
He said most of them want to obtain loans through the constituency offices by pretending to be operating under TEVETA.
“If the CDF offices are not careful these institutions will misuse the public funds once given,” he said.
The 9 institutions include Pascal Operators Training Institute, Heavy Duty Operators,
Pamcard training Institute, Phoenix Research Institute, Lusaka Vocational and Technical College, Excavator Operators Training Centre, Copper Valley International College, Lecarena Institute , Three Sixty Cyber Link and World Youth and Leadership Foundation student Agency.
The Higher Education Authority has failed in its oversight function. Professor Simukanga must consider to decentralize the authority before more damage is done to the higher education sector. There are many illegalities going on apart from poor quality graduates being chained out even in government run institution. His role shouldn’t end at gracing graduation ceremonies. Nowadays anybody can setup a training center and begin to operate without being noticed and award his own certificates which aren’t recognized anywhere. Due to the critical shortage of tertiary space desperate students enroll and pay money at such institutions. This is happening because of a lack of leadership by those responsible. Don’t wait for people to come to you, get out of your offices and work!
How can u know if the institution is under Teveta..?
Am one of students who was at teveta( excavator training center) and I was charged k5’500 for one machine just for 1 week but I stayed 1 mouth 2 weeks , with lot of lies..