The Cranky Professor looks down his nose at a group of flummoxed British universities who have slammed the gates on a 13-year-old genius. Why? Because the teachers there are qualified to teach young adults, not children:
Adam Spencer already has a B-grade in maths and this summer sat a further three A-level exams. Although the child genius is expecting top grades in French, biology and chemistry on Thursday, he cannot secure a place at university because of his age.
...universities say legislation prevents him from studying. If Adam were to attend university, all of his lecturers would have to be screened to allow them to teach children.
At the moment lecturers do not have to undergo this process as they teach students aged 18 and over...
Mmm. What's this screening process, then, that is mandatory for kids but not necessary for young adults? Criminal background? Pedophilic behavior? General neuroticism? I suppose this is supposed to make us feel better about the children's teachers, but it makes me feel worse about the university teachers...