MoTS TEVET BURSARY GUIDELINES

DEPARTMENT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Revised February, 2017

Content Page


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS


DHRD Department of Human Resources Development

DSWO District Social Welfare Office

DVET Department of Vocational Education and Training

GRZ Government of the Republic of Zambia

MCDSS Ministry of Community Development and Social Services

MOGE Ministry of General Education

MoTS Ministry of Technology and Science

N.R.C National Registration Card

PS Permanent Secretary

PWAS Public Welfare Assistance Scheme

TEVET Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training                        

TEVETA Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority


1.0 INTRODUCTION


Zambia’s Vision 2030 emphasizes developing quality human capital, including investing in quality education and skills development. In order to attain the desired human capital development, there is need to build inclusive and appropriate skills that respond to the demands of the labour market. Training in business development, engineering, technical and vocational skills will be required to support innovation and technology that will drive social and economic transformation and economic growth. This entails that people should be educated and appropriately skilled (to include formal and non‑formal skills development).


To support the Vision 2030, the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) has set out development outcomes to attain a diversified and resilient economy for sustained growth and socio-economic transformation. Achieving diversification in Zambia will require a labour force that has functional skills qualifications that support the development of practical skills. The introduction of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) in 2017, through the Skills levy, provides an opportunity for an expanded support to TEVET skills development. The current budget cannot meet the current demand given the demographic pressure on the current budget for social protection.


2.0 LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK


The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) introduced reforms in the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) system in 1994. This led to the development of the TEVET Policy of 1996 and was reviewed in 2009 and to be reviewed again in 2017.


Some of the guiding principles of the TEVET Policy are:


  1. to provide qualitative training for imparting appropriate vocational skills relevant to the social economic development needs of Zambia; and


  1. to provide equitable access for training for all the people in the community, including the vulnerable groups.


The TEVET Policy is the main framework for TEVET in Zambia. This policy recognizes the need to adapt TEVET to meet the needs of a changing economy, including an important share of the informal sector, and to provide the right mix of skills to support national development and youth’s employment prospects.


According to the TEVET Policy reforms of 1996, the goals included: (i) to balance the supply of skills labour market at all levels with the demands of the economy; (ii) to act as a vehicle for improved productivity and income generation; (iii) to be an instrument for the minimization of inequalities among the people.


Based on this policy, the TEVET Act No. 13 of 1998, and the TEVET (Amendment) Act No.11 of 2005, the 1998 Act also defined a more decentralized governance framework, which represented a radical change in TEVET Management in Zambia.

  • 3.0 JUSTIFICATION


    Despite a steady economic growth in the past 10 years as a result of increased foreign investment largely concentrating on the mining, tourism, manufacturing and construction industries; there is still a gap in the informal sector regarding skills needs. It is for this reason that the new TEVET policy has emphasized on the need to include economic activities to address the skills gap of both informal and formal sectors. This because the TEVET sector is unable to produce the high on demand skilled human resource such as artisans, craftsmen/women, technicians and technologies, it is for this reason that the Ministry of Technology and Science TEVET Bursary Scheme should continue to supplement on the training costs for vulnerable student that meet the set guidelines.


    4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME


    The objectives of the MoTS TEVET Bursary Scheme are as follows:


      1. To provide financial support to vulnerable students in order to enable them access skills training;

      2. To encourage female students take up skills training in traditionally male dominated courses in order to promote gender equality;

      3. To promote critical skills for national development; and

      4. To provide qualitative training for imparting appropriate vocational skills relevant to socio-economic development needs of Zambia.


  • 5.0 THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MoTS TEVET BURSARY SCHEME


    The operating guidelines of the Bursary Scheme shall be based on the following principles:


      1. Transparency: the scheme shall be managed in an open judicious manner;


      1. Accountability: All persons responsible for the implementation of the Bursary shall be held responsible for its success or failure;


      1. Partnership: The establishment and management of the scheme shall be done in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The stake holders include; Training Providers, Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, MoTS, DHRD – Cabinet Office, and Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board;


      1. Equity: The scheme shall target the vulnerable, school drop-outs, females in male dominated programmes and persons with disabilities.


      1. Source of Funds/ Financing: The Scheme shall receive funds for disbursement from Government, ( Skills Development Fund inclusive), private sector and any other donors who may come on board; and


      1. Impartiality: All persons responsible for the scheme shall carry out their duties when selecting in a way that is fair, just and equitable and reflects on the MoTS commitment to equality and diversity.


    6.0 THE SCOPE OF THE SCHEME


    The Bursary Awards shall be disbursed in the following manner:


    1. To provide bursary according to the demands of the National Development Plans; and

    2. To provide bursary at 60% for rural based institutions, 30% urban based institutions and 10% for Persons with disabilities.


    The Bursary Award shall cover the following key areas:

      1. Tuition fees to be paid to the institution at (50%, 75% and 100%) depending on the location of the training institution, the programme offered and the funds available from the Treasury;

      1. Boarding and lodging Fees (where applicable) paid directly to the Institution; and

      1. Examination fees (100%) shall be paid directly to the Institution.


    7.0 ELIGIBILITY

    This bursary will be offered to applicants who will meet the following criteria:

      1. Must be Zambian with Green National Registration Cards (NRC);

      1. Must possess any of the following qualifications:

        • Full Grade 12 School Certificate or GCE five (5) O-Levels or equivalent or Grade 9 Certificate;

      1. The MoTS encourages those who have never been to school to apply for trade test programmes;

      1. Must possess an Admission or Acceptance letter from any of the TEVET institutions under Ministry of Technology and Science;See list of institutions

      1. Assessed by social welfare officers (to gain a copy of an electronic social welfare report).

      1. Must be 25 years old or below by next February;

      1. For differently abled persons, they must be (35 years and below) by next February;

      1. Returning students are not eligible to apply;

  • 8.0 GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE AWARD


    The Bursary Awards will be governed by the following conditions:


        1. The Bursary Award shall be determined by the Government and shall NOT be negotiable by the student or his/her representative or the institution;


        1. The Bursary Award shall be valid for the period of study depending on production of satisfactory results every academic calendar; and

        2. The Bursary Award shall not cover all the students’ educational requirements and as such, the students will accordingly be expected to supplement from their own resources;

        3. Students that are awarded bursary will be expected to pay their registration fees to the Institution at the point of admission, and MUST be refunded by the Institution when he/she is placed on the bursary support.



  • 9.0 THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR AWARDING BURSARIES


      1. Application for Bursary: The applicant, after being accepted at a training institution, shall obtain an application form from the MoTS training institution where they have been accepted.


    Thereafter the applicant will be screened by the District Social Welfare Office (DSWO) from where the applicant resides and a Social welfare report issued to the applicant. The degree of vulnerability will be determined from the social welfare report. Bursary awards will be dependent on meeting requirements mentioned in Seven (Eligibility) above, availability of places, funds and priority skill areas determined. The applicant shall submit the forms to the MoTS Training Institution which will thereafter send the forms to the Chairperson, MoTS Bursary Committee Lusaka before the deadline.


      1. MoTS TEVET Bursaries Committee: This Committee shall receive the bursary applications, process, select and award bursaries to deserving applicants. The results of the selection will be communicated to applicants by the Permanent Secretary through the Institutions.


      1. Selection Process: The selection process is shown diagrammatically below:

    9.1 Time Schedule: The processing of Bursary Awards will follow the schedule below:


      1. October 1 - MoTS dispatches the application forms to MoTS Institutions;

      1. October 15 -MoTS advertises for Bursary Awards on print and electronic media;

      1. November,30 - Deadline for submission of Bursary Applications to MoTS;

      1. December,1 - Processing of Bursary Application forms;

      2. January,15 - MoTS TEVET Bursary Secretariat informs the Institutions;

  • 10.0 FUNCTIONS AND COMPOSITION OF THE MoTS TEVET BURSARY

    COMMITTEE


    Functions: The MoTS TEVET Bursary Committee’s functions shall be to administer the MoTS TEVET Bursary Scheme. The functions shall include the following:


      1. Advertise, receive applications, process, select and award Bursaries to deserving applicants;

      1. Consider renewal of Bursaries to continuing students;

      1. Inform successful applicants through their respective institutions;

      2. Disburse Bursaries;

      1. Monitor and evaluate the activities of the Training Providers on the Bursary Scheme;

      1. Attend to queries;

      1. Maintain a database on the activities of the Bursary Scheme;

      1. Prepare budget for the MoTS Bursary Scheme;

      1. Compile relevant reports on the Bursary Scheme; and

      1. Any other functions as arising.


    10.1 Composition of the Committee: The Committee shall be appointed by the Secretary to the Cabinet and will constitute the following:


      • Director , Department of Vocational Education and Training (MoTS) – Chairperson;

      • Director, Department of Human Resource and Administration (MoTS) Vice -Chairperson;

      • Director, Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (MoTS) – Member;

      • Director, Department of Planning and Development (MoTS) – Member;

      • Chief Accountant (MoTS) – Member;

      • Chief Human Resource Development and Management Officer (MoTS) – Member;

      • Director, Department of Social Welfare – Ministry of Community Development and Social Services - Member;

      • Director, Department of Human Resource Development, Public Service Management Division – Member;

      • Director, Higher Education, Loans and Scholarship Board – Member; and

    The Committee is assisted in its work by a Technical Committee of Officials from the MoTS.

  • 11.0 ROLE OF TRAINING PROVIDERS


    Training Providers must demonstrate ability to manage and administer bursary resources by:


      • Accounting for bursaries paid directly to them for tuition, boarding and lodging;


      • Submit Returns; and


      • Submit results for returning students timely.

  • 12.0 FLOW OF FUNDS


    Upon completion of the selection process the following will be the documentation required to trigger release of funds:


      1. A list of successful applicants by an institution;


      1. A schedule showing the various cost components of training that the bursary will support for each successful applicant by institution;


      1. A formal request for financing from the MoTS TEVET Bursaries Committee will be forwarded to the Controlling Officer.


      1. Disbursement to Training Providers will be done through the normal accounting process. Training Providers will be expected to issue a payment acknowledgement receipt to the Accounting Unit.


      1. Retirement of financing by the beneficiary institutions will be done by way of quarterly/semester/modular progress reports to the Bursaries Secretariat. These reports will include a financial report indicating receipts and payments and a student/ institutional performance report. Beneficiary institutions, will submit these reports to the Bursaries Secretariat, which review and check for compliance against the set out requirements and completeness and that the disbursed funds have been used as per the conditions for funding and that other conditions of the bursaries have been met. After approval the reports will be forwarded to the Accounting Unit for validation;


      1. The Accounting Unit will, review and validate the quarterly /semester reports from the training providers which have been approved by the Bursaries Committee. The Accounting Unit will, as part of their review, reconcile the information submitted in the reports with the information at the Secretariat before effecting the payment of the following semester for continuing students;


    13.0 TERMINATION OF THE BURSARY


    The bursary award shall be terminated for any of the following reasons:


      1. When a student is referred to part time;


      1. When a student fails some courses and is unable to proceed to the next stage;

      2. When a student is excluded or re-directed from one course to another or from one institution to another without the express permission of Bursary Committee;


      1. When a student withdraws from a program of study without informing the MoTS TEVET Bursary Committee;


      1. When a student is required to repeat a course for any reason other than for medical reasons, which shall be certified by a registered medical practitioner;


      1. When unsatisfactory reports are made by the institution concerning the student’s conduct or progress;


      1. When the student requests to withdraw from the program;


      1. When a student withdraws from studies without permission from MoTS TEVET Bursary Committee and is later re-admitted except on medical grounds;


      1. When a student is involved in unsatisfactory conduct such as prolonged demonstration, riotous behaviour or criminal activities;


      1. When it is established that a student has found alternative sponsors during the course of the academic year/semester;


      1. For any reason which MoTS TEVET Bursary Committee in its absolute discretion may consider good and sufficient.


    14.0 GENERAL INFORMATION


    1. MoTS TEVET Bursary Grants do not cover all personal requirements; and beneficiaries are therefore expected to cover the costs of these from own resources. The Ministry shall endeavor to pay all its TEVET Bursary obligations as owed to beneficiary institutions.


    1. Should the Beneficiary find alternative sponsors during the course of the academic year/semester, the MoTS TEVET Bursary Committee should be informed immediately by the Beneficiary in writing. Should the beneficiary fail to inform the Bursaries Committee action will be taken against the Beneficiary to recover the monies disbursed.


    1. All correspondence concerning the financial and other administrative arrangements in connection with this grant should be addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Science, Maxwell House, Boulevard Rd, P.O. Box 50464 Lusaka.