A nine-year-old child prodigy recently applying to study mathematics at universities in Hong Kong has obviously been a challenge.
The Baptist University of Hong Kong said Thursday it had received part of March Boedihardjo's British A-level exam results and that it would make an elaborate decision upon receiving all the required documents.
March Boedihardjo, an Indonesian Chinese born and raised in Hong Kong, applied to several universities and was awaiting the results of his A-Level exam and Advanced Extension Awards results.
March had studied for two years at a special school in England while his brother was taking a course at Oxford, the Standard newspaper reported.
Baptist University vice president Fan Yiu-kwan said Wednesday he was confident that the university had the resources to cope with a child prodigy, but declined to give a clear-cut answer on whether the university would accept the boy.
If admitted, March would become the youngest university student in Hong Kong.
A spokesperson said Thursday the university must be careful as to whether it was prepared in the academic as well as other spheres, given the boy's age.
Fan also said the university should be careful.
"If a university does not prepare well, it will affect the development of the child," he said Wednesday, adding that "not only universities but the whole of society should consider how to train gifted children."
The Hong Kong government had been showing its support for gifted education.
The Education Bureau said it had always strived to support and bring up gifted students with the concerted effort of the school and the higher education sectors.
Hong Kong launched the Support Measures for the Exceptionally Gifted Students Scheme in 2001. Since then, more than 6,000 gifted students have received training in various areas and taken home numerous medals in international competitions.
Ho Hoi-lam, a 14-year-old girl who scored eight "A"s in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination this year, was also a beneficiary of the scheme, a spokesman for the Education Bureau said Thursday.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang also announced last year in his Policy Address the government's plan to establish an academy for gifted education.
(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2007)
