BILL Clinton, the former US president, yesterday paid tribute to the so-called "Scottish Mafia" who, he said, had taken centre stage in tackling world poverty.
Appearing alongside Sir Tom Hunter in London, Mr Clinton said the Scots entrepreneur and philanthropist, along with the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, had led the way in tackling Third
World debt.
He added: "The Scottish may have more influence over world affairs than at any time since the 18th century."
Mr Clinton, Sir Tom and Mr Alexander yesterday announced the latest project from the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, a joint charity set up in 2006 to invest £50 million over a decade in promoting sustainable growth in Africa.
The plan is to build four teacher-training colleges in Rwanda and Malawi, with the hope that 4,000 new teachers in ten years can educate up to 1.2 million children.
Sir Tom, who made his £1,050 million fortune with the Sports Division chain and is judged by the Sunday Times to be the 68th-richest person in Britain, has visited Africa with Mr Clinton twice, in 2005 and 2007.
According to reports, Sir Tom has Mr Clinton's number on speed dial and shared his private jet with the former president for several days during one of their trips to Africa.
During yesterday's formal announcement in London, the two sat together and joked during the speeches about their influence on one another.
Mr Clinton recalled his early discussions with Sir Tom, when the Scot was deciding whether to get involved with the former president's charitable work.
Mr Clinton said Sir Tom had warned him: "I'm generous, but I'm Scottish."
And the former president added: "He has been as good as his word, both in his generosity and his insistence on results."
Mr Clinton said that the aim of the project was to "knock a big hole" in the need for new teachers in Africa.
He thanked the governments of Rwanda and Malawi for their help, and added: "Most of all, thank you, Tom Hunter, for giving me another adventure, and forgiving me for only being Scots-Irish – that is the best I can do."
Sir Tom, described by Mr Alexander as "a man with a big vision and a big heart" and someone following in the "finest philanthropic traditions" of Scots-born 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie, recalled growing up in a village near New Cumnock and thinking that "never in my wildest dreams" would he share a stage with leading political figures.
He added: "There is an African saying that 'it takes a village to raise a child'.
"I think it's our responsibility as a global village to look after all the children. To ensure equality for all, education for all, to ensure every child benefits from a decent education and gets a decent job and has access to decent health care.
"Because those, in my opinion, are basic human rights."
£4.7m bid to boost teacher trainingTHE initiative by Sir Tom Hunter and Bill Clinton will establish four new teacher-training colleges in Malawi and Rwanda – two in each country – to provide an estimated 1.2 million children with a better education.
The colleges are expected to train 4,000 new teachers in ten years. Up to £4.7 million will come from Band Aid and The Hunter Foundation to build the colleges, which will be managed by the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative.
The college running costs and teachers' salaries will be paid by the Department for International Development, headed by the Scottish MP Douglas Alexander.
It will mean thousands of young Africans will attend school for the first time, while countless others will benefit from smaller class sizes.
The new colleges will be in remote areas, where it is difficult to attract and retain qualified teachers. Efforts will be made to raise the number of female teachers, an important factor in keeping girls in school.
Mr Clinton said: "By investing in teacher-training facilities, we are investing in the future of Malawi and Rwanda."
There are 74 pupils per teacher in Rwanda, and 78 to every teacher in Malawi. In Rwanda, 52 per cent of pupils complete school and in Malawi the figure is just 30 per cent, among the lowest rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr Alexander said: "The government has made education a priority in our effort to reduce global poverty. Providing teachers means more children can go to school, while the quality of the education improves for many more."
The full article contains 773 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
