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Prodigy may face problems: experts

Dennis Chong

University urged to support boy's personal development as well as academic achievements

Putting a nine-year-old child into a tertiary institution may create 'serious social-life issues', experts warned yesterday as Baptist University offered a place to maths prodigy March Boedihardjo.

They said the differences with other students, biologically and psychologically, could lead to problems with integration.

Tertiary institutions, which have recently taken in a number of gifted youngsters, should quickly find ways to accommodate them, they said.

Cheng Wei-hung, director of Australian Top Training Institute, a local counselling service for gifted children, said the child's age meant he may face problems with peers at college. 'He is only nine years old. He is still immature. There could be a serious problem in his social life,' he said.

In tertiary education, he said, personal development was as important as academic achievements. 'We cannot only see his strength.'

Echo Wu Hongyan, an expert on the education of gifted children, agreed that the nine-year-old should focus on social and emotional development as he strives for good scores.

'Everyone will be nine to 10 years older than him. He is going to face problems and challenges in social life,' said Miss Wu, of Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Miss Wu, a former researcher at America's National Research Centre on the Gifted and Talented, said that enrolling underage children was uncommon overseas, and the concept was new in Hong Kong. 'Society and the family should be supportive and give extra care.' She said Hong Kong needed more resources for gifted children. She said mentors would have to help March because at his age. She said emotional problems could affect his development.

In yesterday's press conference announcing Baptist University's offer, March admitted he did not expect to mix with his university peers because of a lack of common interests. He admitted feeling pressure from press coverage.

Dr Cheng said placing March in a secondary school for limited spells while at university was a method of ensuring a smooth transition. If the education system allowed, March could get credits in specific subject at college while getting experience from a secondary school. However, he doubted the current education system would allow that to happen.

A Education Bureau spokesman said the government would work closely with Baptist University to provide support to March. The bureau planned to make regular assessments of the boy's academic and psychological development. It would also assist in creating mentor programmes based on his study performance, the spokesman said.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, another college to which March had applied, said his application was closed. 'We noticed that he has chosen the offer from Baptist University. We hope that he will have a great and enjoyable college life,' said a spokesman.

Ho Hoi-lam, 14, recently became the youngest Hong Kong person to be offered a place to study medicine.

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