AMERICA-BASED Zambian Law Professor Muna Ndulo, through his Ndulo Foundation, has built and handled over four libraries at different primary schools in rural parts of Pemba district of Southern Province.

Prof Ndulo has also donated 3,000 books and several computers to these schools.

The libraries were handed over to the schools over the Easter weekend by Prof Ndulo’s brother, Professor Manenga.

In an interview, Prof Manenga, who lectures economics at the University of Zambia, said the libraries had been built at Munyona, Choompa, Anamaila and Nalucha primary schools in Chisekese area.

Prof Manenga said his brother was also building a secondary school in the same area and had been supporting schools with learning materials for years.

“What it is that in Chisekese area where Professor Ndulo comes from, he has been trying to support the community and that support is focused on education. So he is building a secondary school but the secondary school will take some to finish because the secondary school is being built and there is support to primary schools. Basically, four primary schools around the secondary school which is being built have been supported. They have been supported in terms of textbooks, teaching requisites like paper. So that has been there for some time, not the whole school but targeted grades. Sometimes say perhaps grade seven, six, they will need something so you buy like science or maths books for that group,” he said.

“So this is what extended to building libraries for the four schools. So Professor Ndulo has built four libraries at Munyona primary, Choompa primary school, Anamaila primary school and Nalucha primary schools. These libraries have been built with the cooperation of the teachers and the community at the school. This is apart from the ongoing of building the secondary school in the area, the secondary school is Temba Julia Ndulo Secondary, [named after his parents].”

He said the libraries, which were handed over on Saturday, had also been stocked with books.

“But he has also stocked the primary schools with the books, most of them like donations from American primary schools donated to staff, because you need to stock the library. Later on of course, one can also purchase local books from here and stuff them in the library. Some of the books basically are for primary schools; some of them are teacher’s books. So the event which was there is to open these four libraries because they are complete. So the ceremony was held at Munyona primary school which was attended by the Chief Hamaundu and the district commissioner and the community,” he said.

Asked what the total cost of the project was, he said the figures could only be provided by Prof Ndulo.

“That one, I cannot share unless the Professor himself because he is the one who has been actually working on the project. But over time, four libraries were built. It is an old project, initially it was donation of textbooks to key grades in the primary schools so this connection has be ongoing but the building of the libraries, I think it has taken place within the past two years,” said Prof Manenga.