Check status of colleges before enrolling - TCZ

The Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) has advised applicants and guardians to ensure that they only enrol in colleges of education which are duly registered to avoid losing out.

TCZ assistant director Joe Kamoko said in an interview in Ndola that applicants must consult the District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) before enrolling in any institution of learning.

The TCZ has since closed down 10 colleges on the Copperbelt which have been operating without licences, leaving students stranded.

Mr Kamoko said the institutions were shut down in accordance with the teaching Progression Act No. 5 of 2013.

He stated that no institution was allowed to hold out as a college or provide training activities without the approval and inspection by the TCZ.

One of the affected institutions was Satellite College in Kalulushi, which offered primary and secondary teaching programmes.

Mr Kamoko said it was always important for applicants to consult the DEBS on whether the colleges they wish to get into were registered before enrolling.

"It is sad that some people enrol into such institutions without knowing that they would have a bad time in finding employment due to the status of the college they had attended," he said.

Mr Kamoko urged all Zambians running colleges across the country to abide by the law and follow the right procedure when establishing them.

Meanwhile, Chililabombwe DEBS Godfridah Phiri said the district was following the code of ethics and over 90 per cent of teachers in the district had registered with the TCZ as required by the law.