Hundreds of CDF Students Enrolled at Deregistered College Despite TEVETA Ban 

A MakanDay investigation exposes how public funds meant to empower vulnerable youths may instead be exposing them to uncertainty, poor living conditions and qualifications that may not be recognised.

By Clara Chisenga

Hundreds of vulnerable youths sponsored under Zambia’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF) skills development bursary scheme have been enrolled at a training institution that regulators say was deregistered nearly a year ago, raising serious questions about oversight, public spending and the future of students who passed through its programmes.

A MakanDay investigation has established that more than 200 beneficiaries are currently enrolled at Pascal Institute of Operators and Safety in Ndola after the institution had been deregistered by the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) for offering programmes outside its approved accreditation.

Documents reviewed by MakanDay, including TEVETA records, revised 2024 CDF Skills Development Guidelines, student testimonies and interviews with public officials, show that publicly funded students continued to be placed at the institution despite regulatory concerns surrounding its operations.

The affected students were enrolled in programmes including excavator operations, forklift operations, mobile crane operations, front loader operations, drilling and fire fighting — courses TEVETA says the institution was not authorised to offer.

The findings raise questions about how local authorities, CDF committees and oversight institutions verify compliance before approving bursary placements and releasing public funds intended to equip young people with employable skills.

Deregistered but still receiving students

Clive Siachiyako, TEVETA’s Manager for Corporate Communications, confirmed that Pascal Institute was initially accredited in 2023 to offer Occupational Health and Safety programmes only.

However, he said the institution was deregistered in August 2025 after inspectors found it offering programmes outside the scope of its accreditation.

Siachiyako said the institution was formally notified after failing to comply with TEVETA regulations.

“We have already prepared the necessary legal documents and enforcement action will follow,” he said.

“I know it might look like we have taken longer to act, but when conducting investigations you want to present a strong case before the courts so that you can secure a conviction.”

He said TEVETA routinely updates local authorities whenever its database of accredited institutions is revised and maintained that certificates issued by Pascal Institute after its deregistration are invalid because the institution was no longer authorised to provide training.

Siachiyako further disclosed that both TEVETA and Ndola City Council had reported the institution’s continued operations to Ndola Central Police Station.

However, Copperbelt Police Commissioner Mwala Yuyi told MakanDay that police records contained no such report.

“We do not have such a case,” Yuyi said.

Meanwhile, Ndola City Council said it was only informed of Pascal Institute’s suspension in August 2025 after most of the processes for the 2026 skills development programme had already been completed and 85 students had enrolled awaiting the commencement of classes.

Public Relations Manager Rebecca Mushota said the council had since withheld K828,750 in tuition fees pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.

A review of TEVETA’s January 2026 Register of Accredited and Registered Institutions further showed that Pascal Institute does not appear among the 496 institutions authorised to offer accredited programmes in Zambia.

Despite this, publicly funded students continued to be enrolled at the institution.

Councils paid public funds

A source within the Livingstone Central CDF Committee disclosed that at least 44 students under the 2026 CDF intake had enrolled at Pascal Institute.

The source said students are generally free to select institutions of their choice, particularly where certain programmes are unavailable in their home districts.

In a response to MakanDay, Livingstone City Council Town Clerk Sombo Kawilila said the council paid K555,550 in tuition fees for 41 learners sponsored to study at Pascal Institute this year.

Of the 41 learners, 25 have completed their studies and received certificates, while 16 have completed approximately 75 percent of their coursework and are awaiting practical driving tests.

Kawilila said the council was unaware that the institution had been deregistered because the TEVETA registration certificate submitted during the application process appeared valid from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026.

She added that following a resolution by the CDF Committee on May 12, 2026, the council had stopped sponsoring learners to the institution.

Students left in uncertainty

For many of the students, the bursaries represented a rare opportunity to escape unemployment through government-funded skills training.

Instead, some now fear they could leave the programme with qualifications that may not be recognised.

Several students told MakanDay they only became aware of questions surrounding the institution’s accreditation after they had already enrolled.

Some said courses expected to last only a few weeks had stretched into several months because of delays in practical training and inadequate facilities.

A student from Livingstone currently staying in Ndola said the original group consisted of 33 students but only 13 had completed their programmes. Others were later transferred to Chingola for practical heavy equipment training.

Another student enrolled in an excavator operations course in February said he had completed theoretical lessons but had still not undergone practical training months later.

Other students alleged that some lessons were conducted in rented facilities rather than at approved institutional premises.

Poor accommodation conditions

Beyond questions over accreditation, MakanDay also found concerns relating to student welfare.

Video footage reviewed by MakanDay showed overcrowded boarding facilities where students appeared to be sleeping on thin mattresses spread across floors in cramped and poorly ventilated rooms.

The footage showed limited living space, inadequate storage facilities and conditions that raise concerns about hygiene, privacy and general welfare standards.

Questions over compliance with CDF guidelines

The revised 2024 CDF Skills Development Guidelines require beneficiaries to study only at duly registered TEVET institutions offering accredited programmes at approved premises.

The guidelines further state that training should, where possible, be undertaken within a beneficiary’s province unless the required programme is unavailable locally or institutions have reached full capacity.

Yet MakanDay established that students from constituencies such as Livingstone Central were sponsored to study at Pascal Institute despite regulatory concerns surrounding the institution.

A wider pattern of weak oversight

The concerns emerging from Pascal Institute mirror weaknesses previously identified by the Auditor General.

In the 2023 audit of the Constituency Development Fund, the Auditor General identified weak monitoring systems, poor oversight and cases where councils funded programmes outside approved CDF guidelines.

The audit found that 122 students, representing more than K1.27 million in payments, had been sponsored into programmes that fell outside the intended scope of the skills development initiative.

The Auditor General’s 2024 report also highlighted recurring weaknesses in internal controls and compliance across several local authorities.

Previous MakanDay investigations in Mufulira similarly uncovered allegations of political favouritism, manipulation of beneficiary records, ghost guardians and weak oversight in the allocation of government-funded bursaries.

Questions over ownership and accountability

PACRA records reviewed by MakanDay identify Amon Mumba as the proprietor of Pascal Institute of Operators and Safety.

Further investigations established that Mumba was also seeking adoption as a parliamentary candidate for the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) in Msanzala Constituency ahead of the August 13, 2026 general elections.

Campaign materials and public posts reviewed by MakanDay identified him as a prospective candidate promoting President Hakainde Hichilema’s development agenda.

Efforts to obtain a response from Mumba regarding the institution’s accreditation status, student enrolment, and concerns raised by students were unsuccessful. Although he repeatedly promised interviews when contacted by phone, he had not provided any responses by the time of publication.

Public funds, uncertain futures

While TEVETA says Pascal Institute has been deregistered, is operating illegally and cannot issue valid certificates, more than 200 vulnerable youths have already passed through its programmes using public funds intended to equip them with employable skills.

The case now raises broader questions about whether councils, CDF committees and regulatory institutions have adequate safeguards to prevent public funds from being channelled to institutions that are not legally authorised to train students.

MakanDay also sought a response from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, which oversees the administration of the Constituency Development Fund. However, a ministry official referred all queries relating to the sponsorship of students at Pascal Institute to Ndola City Council, saying the local authority was best placed to respond on matters concerning the selection and sponsorship of beneficiaries. 

Clara Chisenga is a journalist from Radio Icengelo in Kitwe. She is currently undertaking a three-month internship at MakanDay after earning third place in the 2025 MakanDay Awards for Investigative Journalism.