When Sufiah, the child of a Malaysian mother and Pakistani father, was admitted to St Hilda's College at the university in 1997 at the age of 13, she was widely hailed as a `wunderkind' taking a route that was started by another child mathematical genius, Ruth Lawrence, who became an Oxford mathematics undergrad at the age of 12 in the 1980s.
However, it seems that Sufiah had spent her 'lost' years taking three more A-level subjects, and finding her own space in the difficult struggle to reconcile her academic excellence at such a young age while her contemporaries were still going through the process of growing up.
Her disappearance made worldwide news during which she was spotted working in a seaside resort on the south coast.
It is understood that during those years she had minimal contact with her family and had been living under care of the Social Services.
St Hilda's Colleges said in a short statement today that she will now be continuing her studies for a master's degree in mathematics.
"We now hope that Sufiah will now be able to continue her studies at Oxford without any intrusion into her private life," the statement added.
Commenting on this news father Farouk Yusof said, "We are extremely proud that she has chosen to go back to her studies. We've all along been encouraging her to do so." - Bernama
