Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi received an honorary degree at the Australian National University (ANU) on Friday.
Gareth Evans, ANU Chancellor presented Suu Kyi with the degree of Doctor of Letters for her 'outstanding contributions in the service of society.'
"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's courage, dignity and steely determination have inspired not only her own people but countless others worldwide," Evans said in a statement.
During her 10 minute acceptance speech, the prominent human rights activist stressed the importance of education.
"These days, there are people who think education is merely an intellectual exercise, I would like to think that it is far broader than that and that education is the shaping of a human being, a human being made up of the physical, the mental as well as the spiritual," Suu Kyi said, Global Times reports.
This is Suu Kyi's first visit to Australia as the guest of the government. The Nobel Prize winner received two honorary degrees on Thursday; one from the University of Sydney and the University of Technology in Sydney.
"I hope and pray that Australia will ... make an example of the possibility of genuine unity and diversity," Suu Kyi said.
Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's (Myanmar) prominent freedom fighter Aung San, spent decades under house arrest after leading a battle against the military rule in 1988. In 2011, the military dictatorship was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election. This political transition led to the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
"I have nothing against the military, in fact I have often said ... I have a great affection for the military, the army of Burma that was founded by my father, but I do not accept that armies are meant to rule countries," Suu Kyi said, Canberra Times reports.
