A 9-year-old Belgian child prodigy who was set to become the worldâs youngest college graduate has dropped out of his Dutch university — after it postponed his expected graduation date.
Laurent Simons gainedâ widespread media attention last month as he was on track to complete an electrical engineering degree at Eindhoven UniveđŻrsity of Technology in the Netherlands.
But on Monday, the university told the youngster and his parents that a later graduation date would be đmore feasible, considering the number of exams Laurent stiđll needed to complete before his birthday on Dec. 26.
In đˇa statement, the university said it offered Laurent âa still phenomenally quick scheme in which he would end his eduđcation mid-2020.â
âLaurent is an exceptionally gifted boy, who is going through his studies at an unprecedented pace,â thđ¤Ąe statement said.
But the delay was unacceptable fođr Laurentâs parents, who declined the offer and pulled their son out of the university.
âUntil last week everything was fine, and now suddenly they seęŚ e a delay of six months,â Laurentâs fđather, Alexander Simons, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The family said it seemed that the university was reacting to the familyâs decision to have Laurent complete his PhD at different institution — in the US, CNN reported.
But in a statement issued to CNN, university spokesman Ivo Jongsma insisted, “We never try to keep our students to ourselves. It would never be a motivation to frustrate somebody.”
Jongsma added that the family had been open about Laurentâs intentions to eventuađ§¸lly studđy in the US.
“His supervisors enjoyed working with him, not only because of his enormous talent, but also because he is a very kindhearted and inquisitive boy,” the university said in the statement. “The door is therefore still open for him to resume the study as long as the conditions remain realistic.”
The family has not yet âsettled on a start áŁdate at the US university and declined to publicly name the institution.
As the prodigyâs education and career progress, Laurent — who takes inspiration from Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla — already has an ultimate goal: to develop research artificial organs and ultimately develop an entire artificial body.
âThere is a lot of interest in Laurent from universities he would be honored to join,â his father said. âThere is so đłmuch demand for Laurent, he is a unique project which everybody wants to be a part of.â
Guinness records indicate thâat the youngest person to ever obtain a collegeđ degree is American Michael Kearney, who achieved the feat in June 1994 at only 10 years and 4 months.
With Post wires