Two Senegalese twins have achieved fame in their country and World at large by passing their high school diploma at the age of 13.
Aminata and Rama Diaw, born on October 8, 2007, have just obtained their diploma in Yeumbeul, a popular suburb of Dakar, in their high school, known as an institution of excellence.
In the same class, they passed in the first round in a scientific series, with life sciences of the earth as a dominant.
Such a success at this age is unheard of in Senegal. The record was held since 2019 by a 14-year-old student. Previously, it was necessary to be at least 17 years old to pass the tests, according to the national office of the bac.
“We were stressed. We had to succeed for our family, especially our father who did everything” to get them to this point, Aminata explained shyly while receiving journalists at her home with her sister, their mother Marie Dial Diop Diaw and their father Demba Diaw.
A retired civil administrator claims to have realized that they had a precocious intelligence and made them skip classes and give lessons at home.
The Senegalese government offered them a scholarship to study in a preparatory class abroad, but their father said he declined, citing their young age and the precedent of Diary Sow.
The disappearance of Diary Sow, distinguished best student of Senegal in 2018 and 2019 and enrolled in preparatory class at the prestigious Parisian high school Louis-Le-Grand, had put Senegal in turmoil early 2021. She reappeared after several days, citing personal reasons, and has since returned to Senegal.
President Macky Sall praised the performance of the twin’s baccalaureate Tuesday in Dakar at a ceremony to reward the best students of Senegal, which they were his “special guests.
“The state will provide you with all the necessary support to continue your studies,” he promised.
“We can no longer be quiet. Everyone is following us. It’s weird”, said Aminata.
Zimbabwean teenager Maud Chifamba, also made headlines in 2012 after enrolling at the University at the age of 14
The average age for a child to enroll in university is known to be at 18 years of age.
However, a number of young students like Ruth Ama Gyan-Darkwa have been accepted into universities worldwide.
Kimora Hudson is also known as the youngest student to be accepted at the University of West Georgia (UWG) in the United States at 13 years of age.
In 2016, 12-year-old Jeremy Shuler, who was home-schooled, was accepted into the Cornell University in New York as its youngest ever student.
In 2015, Maths prodigy and another home-schooled girl Esther Okade became one of the United Kingdom’s youngest university students at the age of 10. She is studying a Maths degree with the Open University.
Also in 2017, a 14-year-old university graduate and Maths prodigy Yasha Asley became Britain’s youngest employee at the University of Leicester where he was admitted in 2014 straight from primary school at the age of 12 to study for a BSc degree in Mathematics.