ALL BOOKS written about Barbados, its leaders and decision makers should be placed in every home library and made required reading for children.

This recommendation came from President of the Senate Senator Branford Taitt as he spoke yesterday at the re-launch of the book Quotes And Images of the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, written by Minister of Education and Human Resource Development Ronald Jones.

Addressing shoppers in Pages Bookstore at Cave Shepherd on Broad Street, Taitt attributed free secondary education in Barbados to the vision of Barrow who he said understood the importance of letting people learn things about themselves and about other people.

"The best thing you can do for children is to give them a book. If you provide your children with a good home library and include in your lexicon something about Barbados, we will all become better educated," the senator said.

Taitt pointed to the success and popularity of local recording star Rihanna as an example of what was posssible in the context of free secondary education.

"Although she has perfected her art and is now a star in her own right, it is the fact that she is educated and when she goes anywhere in the world they are amazed that this star... is so articulate in the way she expresses herself," he noted.

Jones' book is a collection of extracts from several speeches made by National Hero the Rt Excellent Errol Barrow and many shoppers stood in line to have their copies signed.

The in-store promotion was specially staged in recognition of the upcoming National Heroes day on April 28. (GC)