A 13-YEAR-old maths genius has became Britain's youngest graduate,
gaining first class honours.
Ganesh Sittampalam studied for his BSc maths degree at Surrey
University just one day a week.
''I jumped up and down and yelled 'Yippee!' when I found I had a
first,'' said Ganesh, from Surbiton, London.
''I'm quite proud. I'm happy because I've done it, not because of my
age. I would have felt the same if I was 20. The course was pretty
difficult.''
Now the youngster is thinking of giving up maths to concentrate on his
GCSEs at school.
Ganesh finished his degree with six three-hour exams last month, aged
13 and four months, beating previous record-holder Ruth Lawrence by
seven months.
He is already the youngest person to attain an A grade at O Level,
aged eight, and the youngest to pass an A level, again with the top
grade, aged nine.
Unlike many other child prodigies, Ganesh has succeeded while
following a normal school career.
He spent four days a week with youngsters of his own age at King's
College Junior School, Wimbledon.
Extra studying for his degree was squeezed between homework,
kickabouts in the park, board games, and playing with computers.
Ganesh, who had to absorb a week's quota of work in each teaching day
at Surrey, was so gifted he was accelerated through the three-year
course.
He is now enjoying the long summer break -- ''I'm not going to do
anything with my brain'' -- before transferring to King's senior school
with a scholarship.
''I think it's time for a change from maths,'' he said. He liked the
idea of returning to university at 18 as an undergraduate to study
computing or electronics.
Professor Ron Shail, head of Mathematical and Computing Sciences,
hailed Ganesh's achievement.
''He must be as near to a genius as anybody I have ever met or
taught.''
His mother, Nela, said: ''Ganesh was a lazy baby who walked and talked
late.'' However, he was very numerate as a child, she said, which did
not surprise his parents: both have maths degrees.
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