10-year-old Nigerian Girl Enrolled At Open University

10-year old Esther

Ten-old Esther Okade is currently studying mathematics at Open University in the United Kingdom.

Like most kids her age, Esther Okade is a big fan of Disney's Frozen and loves to play with her Barbie dolls. But there is an impressive difference between the home-thought Esther and most children: Esther is currently studying Mathematics at the Open University in the UK where she was enrolled three weeks ago and is already top of the class, scoring 100% on a recent test.

Esther, from Walsall, in the West Midlands, isn’t the only member of her family with a talent for numbers – her six-year-old brother Isaiah is already taking an A-level in maths. Both siblings are home-schooled by their mother who is a mathematician and converted their living room into a class room.

Her mother, Efe, said applying to the university was “an interesting process because of her age.

‘We even had to talk to the vice-chancellor. After they interviewed her they realised that this has been her idea from the beginning. From the age of seven Esther has wanted to go to university.

‘But I was afraid it was too soon. She would say, “Mum, when am I starting?”, and go on and on and on. Finally, after three years she told me, “Mum, I think it is about time I started university now”,’ the mother said.

Mrs Okade said that her daughter was extremely happy when she was accepted by the university and added that Esther would study for her degree at home. 

‘For now we want her to enjoy her childhood as well as her maths. By the time she was four I had taught her the alphabet, her numbers, and how to add, subtract, multiply and division.

‘I saw that she loved patterns so developed a way of using that to teach her new things. I thought I would try her with algebra, and she loved it more than anything.’

Esther made her parents proud of her when she was accepted the course at the Open University. The girl’s father Paul, full of emotion, said:

‘I cannot tell you how happy and proud I am as a father. The desire of every parent is to see their children exceed them, and take the family name to great heights, and my children have done just that.’

Esther Okade is also a university undergraduate after starting a degree at the age of ten.

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