A 12-year-old primary school student will skip high school and go straight to university in 2024 after meeting the entrance requirements of Egypt’s Zewail City of Science and Technology (ZC).
Yahya Abdel Nasser Muhammad Elnajaar is currently in grade six in the official language school in the Damietta Governorate in the far north-east of Egypt. His admission to ZC was announced earlier in December by Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Egypt’s minister of higher education and scientific research. He will start his university career in the second semester of the 2023-24 academic year.
To gain admission, Yahya not only had to prove his understanding of basic concepts in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, but also passed an English test and an interview to judge his character.
Professor Salah Obayya, the director-general of research institutes at ZC, told University World News that Yahya is the youngest student to gain early admission to the university after “meeting standards requirements and examinations, regardless of age and educational stage”.
“Admission exams for all applicants are intended to measure quantitatively how deep their understanding of the basic concepts in math, physics, chemistry and biology is,” Obayya said. “In my view, Yahya has to be a genius to pass the admission exams successfully given his young age of 12 years old.”
From primary school to university
Before being admitted to ZC, Yahya started his journey by obtaining a so-called ‘listening certificate’ from the Centre for Scientific Creativity at the faculty of science at Damietta University after attending courses in scientific fields as a listener.
He also passed other tests, including in thinking skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as a test equivalent to a high school diploma.
The Egyptian government will support Yahya’s studies at ZC through a scholarship offered by the Innovators Support Fund (ISF) of the ministry of higher education and scientific research.
The fund offers a wide range of programmes to discover, train, support and fund gifted individuals, innovators and entrepreneurs working in any field and on any educational or professional level, including school students, university undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, and researchers.
Development challenges
While Yahya’s mental and intellectual age might be on par with other university students, the same is probably not true of his emotional, social, cultural and physical age, says Samir Khalaf Abd-El-Aal, research professor at the National Research Centre in Cairo.
“Yahya’s parents and the university must be aware of the personal development challenges that must be tackled, including behaviour, social and emotional development, along with nurturing relationships with others and building friendships,” Abd-El-Aal told University World News.
“This could be achieved through a university-parent partnership to work as a team on keeping a close eye on Yahya, and for guiding him to discover and build on his personal strengths, along with helping him in developing his full intellectual and emotional potential,” Abd-El-Aal said.
“The Children’s University programme launched by the Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology along with several universities could also help in preparing gifted students for the transition from school to university education and enhancing their scientific and innovation abilities.”
Professor Ahmed El-Gohary, former president of the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology in Alexandria, agrees that gifted younger students should receive special care. Such students should not be deprived of the ordinary experiences of their age group, including making friends and having fun. His advice is a programme tailored for each such student, since no one approach will work for everyone.
A father’s role
Yahya’s father, Abdel Nasser, told University World News he sees his role as following and encouraging him to grow and develop to his full potential at both educational and personal levels, along with helping him to resolve the issues he is likely to be confronted with at such a young age. “At the academic level, I worked hard to develop his intellectual abilities and put him in the right educational environment to meet his learning needs,” he said.
He is not too worried about Yahya’s personal development, citing the boy’s year at Damietta University. “In fact, Yahya has no problem at all with studying and interacting with students older than himself and, at the same time, socialising with children of his own age.”
Professor Mahmoud Abdrabou, the acting executive president of ZC, says the university will help Yahya adapt to life as a full-time student. “[The university] will be with Yahya every step of the way to overcome any challenges he may face in his academic or non-academic life, such as involving him in the student’s clubs, activities, and being with a senior student who can mentor him on his journey.”
