How Buhari Gave His Children The Best By Sending Them To The University Of Surrey

The social media is abuzz today with photographs of Mrs Aisha Buhari and two of her children, Yusuf and Zahra as they celebrate their graduation from the University of Surrey in England. The graduation ceremonies of the institution for 2016 took place yesterday at the Guildford Cathedral in the town of Guildford where the university is located.

That Muhammadu Buhari’s children graduated  yesterday means they were enrolled in that institution well before their father became Nigeria’s president. Now, that the man could see two of his children through Surrey education shows he has another side which may not be well known to his countrymen. That side, very apparently, would be that of a father who is extremely devoted to his children and who is ready to do whatever it takes to get quality education for them. It all shows that Buhari can offer the sacrifice needed to ensure a great future for his offsprings.

The University of Surrey is obviously one of the most prestigious and reputable universities in the world. One of Britain’s most respected newspapers, The Times, alongside its sister title, Sunday Times has named Surrey “University of the Year” for 2016. The University of Surrey won under two descriptions namely, “Overall University of the Year” and “University of the Year for Student Experience.”

Last year, the university won the WhatUni Student Choice Award of “Best University for University Facilities.” These rankings are specific to the United Kingdom and they imply that the University of Surrey is among the very best that the UK offers.

This current year, 2016, the highly authoritative Guardian University Guide ranked the University of Surrey as Number 4 in the United Kingdom. It came only behind Cambridge at No.1, Oxford at No.2, and St. Andrews at No.3. By the Guardian’s ranking, Surrey is in fourth position out of the 119 U.K. universities that were assessed. Last year, the university was in the same position.

So, generally speaking, it might be safe to say that the University of Surrey is rated higher than such British institutions as the University of Bath, the University of Durham, Warwick University, Imperial College, London, University of Exeter and the London School of Economics.

Expectedly, Surrey education does not come cheap financially. Under the University of Surrey International Study Centre (which handles foreign students intake), the tuition fees were recently given as follows for different courses per annum:

1. Business, Economics, Law and School Sciences — £15,150 (Fifteen thousand, one hundred and fifty pounds OR about N6.66 million using N440 to a pound as exchange rate.)
2. Engineering & Physical Sciences — £16,100 (Sixteen thousand, one hundred pounds OR about N7.084 million using N440 to a pound as exchange rate.)
3. Life Sciences — Same as above
4. English Language Preparation per Semester — £4,870 (Four thousand, eight hundred and seventy pounds OR N2.143 million.)

Other costs include “Guardianship Fee” of £66 per month for students under the age of 18 at the start of the course plus a refundable fee of £100 to cover emergency costs like the replacement of a lost passport.

The fees quoted above do not include accommodation, feeding, transportation and other costs.

The University of Surrey has a 125-year history having been founded in 1891 as Battersea Polytechnic Institute. In 1956, it became one of the first institutions in Britain to be designated as “college of advanced technology.”

Following its increasing popularity and growth in student intake, its site on Battersea Park Road became too small and the decision was taken to move it to Guildford in 1962. It was transformed into a university on September 9, 1966.