Fake PhD’s out - Prof Simukanga

PEOPLE who have not earned the qualification should not use the Doctor (Dr) nomenclature, Higher Education Authority (HEA) director general professor Stephen Simukanga warned in Lusaka. Prof Simukanga said honorary doctorates bestowed on some individuals in appreciation of their works by institutions should not be used as titles, unless when dealing with institutions which honoured them because they were not supposed to be used in the first place. “We had and still have a lot of prominent leaders like Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe, to mention but a few who were honoured by some institutions for their works, but they are not using their honorary doctorates

We had and still have a lot of prominent leaders like Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe, to mention but a few who were honoured by some institutions for their works, but they are not using their honorary doctorates as titles,” — Prof Simukanga.

as titles,” he said. He also warned that university professors who acquired their professorship without consummate standards will have their professorship revoked to protect the highest qualification. Prof Simukanga said the authority would soon come up with regulations on how people should be promoted to become professors to ensure that the professorship was guided accordingly. He said if the promotion of the professors was not recognised, it would have an impact on their grading and assessment. The authority would come up with strategic plans as roadmap to improve service delivery and safeguard the title of professor, he said.