The Office of the Public Protector Zambia (OPPZ) successfully intervened in a matter involving ten (10) Zambian students who were awarded scholarships under the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board (HELSB), to pursue undergraduate degree programmes in Algeria but were unexpectedly enrolled in vocational certificate programmes upon arrival.
The OPPZ received the joint complaint on 20th February 2025, from guardians who raised urgent concerns about the future of the affected students and the distress the situation had caused their families.
According to the complaint, the students had been selected in 2024 to pursue undergraduate degree programmes in Algeria through the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board (HELSB). However, upon reaching Algeria, they were enrolled in vocational institutions without any prior notification or consent.
When the guardians sought clarification from HELSB, they were informed that discussions between the Zambian and Algerian authorities had resulted in an agreement to reinstate the students into their rightful degree programmes.
However, despite this assurance, when the final official list was released, it was discovered that all the ten students had been excluded, causing further delays, emotional distress and intensifying the uncertainty experienced by both the students and their families.
Following the complaint, the OPPZ instituted an investigation which revealed that the students had indeed been awarded full scholarships under the HELSB to pursue undergraduate degree studies in Electrical Engineering in Algeria.
The OPPZβs intervention prompted the HELSB to engage the Zambian Embassy in Algeria to address the matter and a high-level meeting was convened on 2nd May 2025, during which the Zambian Ambassador to Algeria confirmed that authorities were actively working to rectify the issue.
During the meeting, authorities agreed to facilitate the transfer of the affected students from vocational institutions to accredited universities so that they could commence their degree programmes as originally intended.
As a result of this intervention, an agreement was reached, and the students were scheduled to begin their undergraduate programmes between October and November 2025. By 5th December 2025, the complainants confirmed that all the ten students had successfully been reinstated into their degree studies. The matter was subsequently closed as redressed.
This outcome demonstrates the OPPZβs continued commitment to promoting accountability, confronting administrative errors, and ensuring that citizensβ rights and opportunities especially in critical areas such as education are fully protected.
