the teaching council of zambia

What the teaching council of zambia does

The Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) is a statutory regulatory body established in 2013 under the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013, mandated to regulate the teaching profession across Zambia. Its core functions include teacher registration, issuance and renewal of practicing certificates, enforcement of the Code of Ethics, setting professional teaching standards, administering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs, and investigating professional misconduct with sanctions including de-registration and license revocation. TCZ serves all registered teachers in Zambia across early childhood, primary, secondary, special education, college lecturer, and administrator categories, in both public and private schools, and operates under the oversight of the Ministry of General Education.

TCZ operates a digital-first service delivery model centered on the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS), accessed via the TCZ online portal (teacher.tcz.ac.zm). TMIS handles the full teacher lifecycle — registration, licensing, CPD credit accrual, and recruitment coordination with the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education. The system was showcased at the 69th CIES Conference in Chicago in March 2025. Services are delivered through four decentralized regional offices (Lusaka, Kitwe, Kasama, Livingstone) covering all 10 provinces of Zambia, with approximately 34 employees supporting operations. Pricing for individual teachers includes one-time registration fees ranging from K85.50 (student) to K661.20 (administrator) for Zambians and K100.50 to K1,500 for non-Zambians, plus practicing certificate fees structured as 3-year or 1-year subscriptions ranging from K510 to K1,020 (Zambians). TCZ also generates revenue indirectly through government appropriations, teacher award partnerships with UNESCO and UNICAF University, and AFTRA continental engagement.

Name

the teaching council of zambia

Legal name

The Teaching Council of Zambia

Website

https://tcz.ac.zm

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Teaching Council of Zambia is a statutory government body that regulates the teaching profession in Zambia through teacher registration, practicing licensing, CPD oversight, and Code of Ethics enforcement, serving all teachers across the country's 10 provinces via its TMIS digital platform and four regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (923110), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Initial Teacher Certification & Licensure Boards (EDADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher License Renewal & Continuing Certification Authorities (EDADAJAB), Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL), Teacher Standards, Ethics & Professional Conduct Boards (EDADAJAE), Teacher Discipline, Investigations & Fitness-to-Practice Panels (EDADAJAF), Teacher Registration, Recordkeeping & Public Registry Authorities (EDADAJAJ)

Keywords

• Teacher regulation services
• Teacher registration licensing
• Continuing professional development
• Education regulatory authority
• Professional standards enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Teacher Registration Fees: Fees charged for initial teacher registration and changes of status across different teacher categories (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Special Education, College Lecturer, Administrator, and Student Registration). Separate fee schedules exist for Zambian and non-Zambian nationals.
2. Practicing Certificate Fees: Fees charged for the issuance and renewal of practicing certificates, valid for either a 3-year cycle or a 1-year cycle. Fees vary by teacher category (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Special Education, College Lecturer, Administrator). Payment modes include cash and payroll.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Teaching Council of Zambia regulates the teaching profession in Zambia through statutory teacher registration, issuance of practicing certificates (3-year validity), Continuing Professional Development (CPD) management, Code of Ethics enforcement, and teacher standards development. All services are delivered through the proprietary Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) and online TCZ Portal, with a decentralized network of four regional offices across Zambia.

Product overview

The Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) offers a unified suite of teacher regulation and professional development services centered around its core Teacher Management Information System (TMIS). The portfolio includes teacher registration, practicing certificates (3-year validity), and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs. TCZ operates through its online TCZ Portal and provides regulatory services including Code of Ethics enforcement and teacher standards development under the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teacher Registration One-time statutory registration service for teachers in Zambia, mandated under the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013. Includes change of status processing across multiple teacher categories with separate fee schedules for Zambian and non-Zambian nationals.
• Practicing Certificate A document that authorizes registered teachers to legally practice teaching in Zambia. Valid for 3-year or 1-year cycles with fees varying by teacher category (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Special Education, College Lecturer, Administrator) and nationality.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program Workshops, training sessions, seminars, and online courses that enable teachers to accrue CPD credit points for license renewal. TCZ also recognizes external CPD service providers.
• Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) An innovative digital platform that streamlines teacher registration, licensing, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) management, and facilitates teacher recruitment in collaboration with the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education. Showcased internationally at CIES 2025.
• Code of Ethics Enforcement Investigation of allegations of professional misconduct and imposition of sanctions (including de-registration and license revocation) under section 46 of the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013 and the Code of Ethics for the Teaching Profession.
• Teacher Standards Development Development, promotion, and enforcement of internationally comparable teaching profession practice standards to improve quality and ethics amongst teachers in Zambia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 teachers awarded on World Teachers' Day 2024 (20 TCZ/UNESCO Awards + 13 TCZ/UNICAF University Awards) for compliance with registration, practicing licence, and CPD participation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNESCO IICBAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UNESCO IICBA (International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa) supported TCZ's participation in the 69th CIES Conference in Chicago (March 2025) and provides ongoing support for TCZ initiatives. Zambia was selected to host a five-day regional CPD workshop in June 2025 with participants from seven countries (Lesotho, Malawi, South Sudan, Zanzibar, and others).
• Teaching Service CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Teaching Service Commission collaborates with TCZ on teacher recruitment, deployment, and management. TCZ's TMIS system is designed to facilitate teacher recruitment in collaboration with the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education.
• UNICAF UniversityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024UNICAF University partners with TCZ to co-sponsor teacher awards on World Teachers' Day. TCZ/UNICAF University Awards were presented to 13 teachers from both public and private sectors nationwide in 2024.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019UNESCO collaborates with TCZ on teacher awards (TCZ/UNESCO Awards on World Teachers' Day), the development of the National Framework on Social Dialogue for Teachers in Zambia (developed with Ministry of Education support in 2019), and global education initiatives including participation in the UN Transforming Education Summit and the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession.
• AFTRA (Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2010AFTRA is an intergovernmental organization comprising ministries of education and national agencies regulating teaching across African Union member states. Zambia is a founding member of AFTRA, inaugurated on October 12, 2010 in Abuja, Nigeria. TCZ Registrar Dr. Ebby Mubanga serves as Vice President of AFTRA. AFTRA leads policy development and implementation for teacher professionalization in Africa and is a member of the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA) and the UN International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030.
• Ministry of Education (Zambia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCZ is a statutory body under the Ministry of General Education (now Ministry of Education). The Ministry collaborates with TCZ on teacher policy, standards, and the National Framework on Social Dialogue for Teachers. The Minister of Education officiates at key TCZ events including World Teachers' Day celebrations.
• Malawi Teaching CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA delegation from the Malawi Teaching Council led by Chairperson Professor Joseph Chimombo visited Zambia in August 2024 to learn from TCZ's regulatory framework, as Malawi plans to establish its own teaching regulatory body.
• Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNANTU visited TCZ in November 2022 for benchmarking purposes as Namibia plans to establish a regulatory body for teachers. The visit was conducted jointly with Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZANUT).
• Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZANUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZANUT collaborates with TCZ on matters of teacher welfare, conditions of service, and professional standards. The National Framework on Social Dialogue for Teachers guides engagement between TCZ, teacher unions, and government stakeholders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS): Statutory independent body that maintains the teaching register and professional standards for Scotland. GTCS is a long-established peer with analogous functions including registration, professional standards, fitness to teach, and CPD — providing a benchmark for TCZ's regulatory model.
• South African Council for Educators (SACE): South Africa's statutory teacher registration and professional development body, operating under the South African Council for Educators Act. SACE is the most direct African peer in terms of statutory teacher regulation mandate, comparable teacher categories, and CPD requirements.
• Teaching Council (Ireland / Cosáin): Statutory body that registers teachers in Ireland and sets professional standards. Comparable to TCZ in terms of statutory teacher registration, vetting, fitness to teach proceedings, and continuing professional development frameworks.
• Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand: New Zealand's statutory body for teacher registration, certification, and professional standards. Education Council provides a directly comparable peer for TCZ's practitioner licensing, practising certificate renewal, and disciplinary functions.

Regional players

• Teachers Service Commission (TSC Kenya): Kenya's statutory body for teacher registration, recruitment, deployment, and management. TSC is a regional peer covering an analogous teacher lifecycle function, though with greater emphasis on employment and payroll administration than TCZ's regulatory focus.

Emerging players

• Malawi Teaching Council: Malawi's teaching regulatory body currently in development, with a delegation having visited TCZ in August 2024 to learn from TCZ's regulatory framework. Functions as an emerging peer modeling itself on TCZ's approach, with potential future licensing or technical assistance relationship.

Broad incumbents

• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE): Indian statutory body responsible for teacher education planning, accreditation, and regulation across a vastly larger system. NCTE is a broader incumbent comparable to TCZ in core mandate (teacher standards and regulation) but operates at significantly larger scale and scope.

Others

• AFTRA (Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities): Continental intergovernmental body that TCZ helped found and where the TCZ Registrar serves as Vice President. AFTRA is an enabling ecosystem organization rather than a competitor, providing TCZ continental visibility, policy influence, and partnership opportunities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tcz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-teaching-council-of-zambia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about the teaching council of zambia