By David Chibwili/Mike Mwendachabe
The Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) has officially announced measures to assist Evelyn Hone College students who were unable to sit for the November/December 2025 examinations due to technical and administrative lapses at the institution.
This follows an engagement meeting held on December 2, 2025, where Ministry of Technology and Science Permanent Secretary Dr. Brilliant Habeenzu met affected students, TEVETA officials, Evelyn Hone College management and the Evelyn Hone College Students Union (ECHOSU) to address the crisis.
In its public statement, TEVETA confirmed that several students were not registered on the Learner Data Management System (LDMS) which is the national platform used to generate official examination dockets.
Although the students were captured on the college’s internal system (Study Master), their details were never uploaded onto the LDMS, making them ineligible to sit for the exams.
As a result, the affected students’ names did not appear on official examination registers, leading to their exclusion from the November/December session.
To resolve the issue, TEVETA has opened the LDMS earlier than scheduled to allow Evelyn Hone College to register the affected students for a special examination session set for April/May 2026.
According to the Authority, the decision was reached after consultations with student representatives, management and the Ministry.
TEVETA has emphasized that the affected students will sit for their exams at no extra cost and as first attempters, securing their academic progression without penalties.
During the December 2 dialogue, Dr. Habeenzu reassured students that government will not allow their education to be derailed due to administrative shortcomings. He stressed that President Hakainde Hichilema’s continued support for Evelyn Hone College demonstrated by his two recent visits, reflects the administration’s commitment to improving learning conditions.
The Permanent Secretary warned that disciplinary action will be taken against staff whose negligence caused the omission, describing the lapse as “incompetence that cannot be tolerated in an institution of learning.”
Dr. Habeenzu further urged students to avoid demonstrations, encouraging them instead to focus on their academic goals. He directed that examination registers must be displayed at least one month before exam sessions to allow timely data verification and LDMS updates.
Meanwhile, TEVETA Director General Cleophas Takaiza reiterated that only students registered on the LDMS are eligible for national examinations.
He assured the public that TEVETA is taking “extra care” to ensure students are not disadvantaged and that examination integrity is preserved.
The college management and TEVETA have been given until Friday to submit a detailed report outlining how the omission happened and what corrective measures will be implemented to prevent a recurrence.
With the LDMS now open and registration underway, affected Evelyn Hone College students are expected to sit for their examinations in April/May 2026, restoring hope after weeks of uncertainty.
(Zambia Reports, December 11, 2025 )