Toh Swee-Hin
In 2000, an international jury unanimously selected Toh Swee-Hin, 1974 MEd, 1980 PhD, a professor of educational policy studies at the University of Alberta, as the recipient of the prestigious UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. The prize, whose previous recipients include Mother Teresa and the brilliant Brazilian educator Paulo Friere, recognized Dr Toh's pioneering work in promoting peace education in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Uganda, South Africa, Japan, Jamaica, the USA, and in particular, in the southern Philippines, a region of long-standing conflicts among various cultural and social groups.Born and raised in Malaysia, Dr Toh served as a senior lecturer at the University of New England in Australia before returning to the University of Alberta as a faculty member in 1992. Since then, he has made significant contributions to the internationalization of the University and is director of the linkage project with the University of Fort Hare in South Africa. That project, which he initiated, involves joint activities with South African educators to improve teacher education for post-apartheid educational needs.
Dr Toh is a 2001 recipient of the University of Alberta Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award.