Netherlands Laurent Simons, 9, dropped out of the program at Eindhoven University of Technology due to a controversy about graduation time.

Laurent Simons made headlines in international media in November when he expected to graduate electrical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), Netherlands, this month and become the youngest person to graduate from university. .

However, controversy broke out between TUE and the Simons family about the time of the boy's graduation, when the school refused to let Laurent complete the curriculum according to the plan set by his parents.

TUE said he advised Laurent to complete his program in mid-2020 instead of the end of December, due to the number of tests he had to pass. "Either way, this is an incredibly fast schedule," the university said in a statement.

TUE said Alexander Simons, Laurent's father, "repeated the clear desire that his son will get a bachelor's degree at age 9, which means that Laurent must complete a bachelor's degree within 10 months for a course usually lasts three years ".

However, Alexander said before, the two sides have no dispute about Lauren's super fast learning time. Laurent's parents finally decided to withdraw their children from TUE to attend an unnamed university in the United States. He plans to continue his studies to get a PhD in electrical engineering.

Alexander said the decision was a response to TUE's attempt to prevent his son from enrolling at the same time in the US. "The way they treat them is not right. Laurent is not their property," he said.

"Sometimes you have to make a choice," Alexander said. "If you let the kids go on, you never know if he'll ever get this chance again."

In response, Ivo Jongsma, a spokesman for TUE, said: "We have never tried to hold students for ourselves. It is not worth making someone angry." Jongsma added that the Simons family was very open about Laurent's study plan in the US.

TUE also said in the above statement that it was "sorry" when the Simons' family rejected the new schedule.

"The trainers enjoyed working with him, not only because of Laurent's talent but also because this was a very kind and eager boy to learn," TUE said. "Therefore, this door remains open for the boy to continue his studies as long as the actual conditions are met."

Laurent was born in 2010 in the city of Ostend, Belgium, then followed his parents to the Netherlands to live. He started high school at age 6 and became a member of a research project at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. 8 years old, Laurent graduated from high school, becoming a new student at Eindhoven University of Technology in March.

The family has not yet decided on Laurent's enrollment date in the US. Alexander refused to disclose the school name. "We don't want him to be under pressure," he said.