A 12-year-old boy in Manipur has been granted permission to sit for the Class 10 board exams by a committee considering his 'mental age and superior intelligent quotient (IQ) level'.
Isaac Paulallungmuan Vaiphei's application to sit for the exams was approved by the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BoSEM) as a 'special case'. No one at his age had appeared in the exams in the state before. That way, he is set to create a record of sorts. "The decision was made after he had undergone a psychology test at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (in Imphal) and the resultant high scores," a BoSEM official said.
The mental age of Isaac was found to be 17 years and 5 months and his IQ was 141. "This is very superior intellectual and development functioning," the official added. Isaac is over the moon. "I am eagerly waiting to sit for the exams. I admire Sir Isaac Newton. One reason behind it is that we share a common name," the boy said. He has been brilliant in his studies all throughout, having secured the top position in his previous exams. He had developed a keen interest in reading books of higher classes at an early age. He is the eldest among his four siblings, three brothers and a sister, and hails from the state's Churachandpur district.
Earlier, the BoSEM was in a dilemma when it received Isaac's application expressing willingness to sit for the exams. According to its rules, a candidate has to be aged at least 15 years to appear in the exams. The boy's family had also approached the authority of the Central Board of Secondary Education to allow him to appear in its Class 10 board exams but the request was turned down.
