The number of child prodigies going to university is on the up - 50% more under 18-year-olds over the past six years in fact.
These youngsters throw up logistical problems. Universities need to consider the kind of child protection laws that are usually the domain of schools and many are loath to be lumped with the role of in loco parentis.
And while most get good degrees, it doesn't always turn out well. Sufiah Yusof, one of a family of child prodigies, who won a place at Oxford at 13 now works as a prostitute after dropping out of her degree course, the Daily Mail reported today.
Should children be put under pressure or even be allowed to join university so young? Isn't university about more than academic learning and emerging clutching a higher education qualification, but no real experience? Tell us what you think.
