Nine-year-old Laurent Simons, the expected world’s youngest college graduate, has dropped out of the Eindhoven University of Technology.
The child prodigy from Belgium was to attain his electrical engineering degree in December, but because of the amount of exams Simons had left to pass. TUE recommended that he finish in 2020.
The Eindhoven University of Technology stated that Laurent’s father, Alexander Simons, “repeated his explicit wish that his son should obtain his bachelor degree at the age of nine, which means that Laurent must successfully complete his bachelor within 10 months for a study that normally lasts three years.”
When asked if this type of parental pressure is appropriate for a nine-year-old, Manhattan Village Academy senior Francise Au replied, “Absolutely not. His parents are robbing him of his childhood. Yes, education is important. But that kind of pressure isn’t good for anyone, let alone a nine year old. They should let their son be a kid and have a childhood.”
