This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
December 12, 2019, marked a significant turn of events for nine-year-old Belgian prodigy Laurent Simons, who was set to graduate with an electrical engineering degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) in the Netherlands.
However, Simons has dropped out of school, allegedly due to a dispute between his family and the institution.
Simons, who had been allowed to complete his course faster than other students due to his exceptional intelligence, had planned to enroll in a PhD program in the same subject while also studying for a Medicine degree.
His father, Alexander Simons, had initially dismissed claims of his son's genius, but teachers soon confirmed it.
“Laurent is the fastest student we have ever had here, not only is he hyper-intelligent but also a very sympathetic boy,” said Sjoerd Hulshof, TUE director at the Electrical Engineering Department.
According to CNN, university officials recommended that Simons complete his course mid-next year, but his father insisted he should graduate in December.
The institution maintained that the boy's engineering course should last for at least three years, but the father wanted him to finish it within 10 months.
When contacted for a comment, Simons' dad denied the claims and revealed that his son had received an offer to study for a doctorate at a university in the United States.
“Sometimes you have to make choices. If he lets it go, you never know if he will get that opportunity again,” Alexander told CNN.
