Twelve-year-old student of Northern Caribbean University, Kevin Rolle (left) meets the institution's president, Dr. Herbert Thompson recently. - Contributed

So, it's just days away from the new school year and lots of parents are gearing up to ready their young teens for high school.

What if your child, at 12, was entering university? That's what Joan Rolle, the mother of Kevin Rolle, has to contend with right now. Making sure her 12-year-old son, is all ready for university.

Kevin is enrolled at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), and from all accounts, seems to be the youngest person ever to enroll in university in Jamaica. Kevin, a Bahamian, begins his first degree majoring in theology with a minor in criminal law in September. The so-called child prodigy said after one year of high school, he got bored, and realised he just had to take on something more challenging.

"High school was very boring. The sort of stuff they were doing, I'd already passed. My mom had taught me from an early age, so it was like at the age of nine or so, I did the stuff I'm now learning in grade seven," he related. Normally, the teacher would give me something different from the other children, although sometimes it would still be something that I had already learnt."

Kevin said from the time he was in elementary school, he realised that he was way ahead of the students in his class, and so, it did not take long for him to decide that maybe he should try university.

"It was in my head for a long time. I have been a 4.0 grade point average student all of my life. And although I am a little young, I know that I can handle going off to college," he related. "But I was saying to myself, I think I need a little bit more background before I can go off to university. Then after October 2005, it hit me right then. I was 110 per cent sure that I was ready for university, although my mother was probably 0.1 per cent sure, because I'm her only son and 12, she didn't want to part with me."

When he finally convinced his mother, everything fell in place quickly. Seeing that he wanted to study theology and serve his church as a pastor, Kevin decided to apply to the Northern Caribbean University (NCU). He was accepted to study and as they say, the rest is history. He said he did not need his high school diploma to apply to the university, because he did exceptionally well on his SAT exam. "I took my SAT exam and got a score of 970. So, my mother and I sent in an application to the university, along with a profile. A month or so later, they sent me an acceptance letter," he explained.

But what has accounted for this remarkable academic success in a boy of 12 years old? Kevin lays the praise at his mother's feet.

Interactive one-on-one experiences

He recalls:

"She would normally make learning fun. We would have, like, interactive one-on-one experiences. Especially with math and Bible, she would make up games and make learning easier and (filled with) fun, so I'd be more interested in it and during the summer time she would take me to some educational places. We travelled a lot and that's where I learnt a lot of stuff."

Kevin is also quick to attribute all success to God. he is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is very much a child preacher. Christianity, he says, has always been a big part of his life. When he is not in the pulpit, he is busy doing community service. "We have an emergency hostel in the Bahamas that's like an orphanage for elderly people. I would often go there and give words of encouragement ... we would give them clothes, bathing towels, toiletries, stuff like that."

Not surprisingly, Kevin describes himself as "not your average 12-year-old". For one, he doesn't like sports. "Most of the time I am either inside studying, reading a book or doing something educational. I am also taking an online math and grammar course with a community college in Canada. If I'm not on the computer, I'm inside sleeping," a smiling Kevin said.

Of course, he has some study tips for students his age. "I normally try to make my studying fun by doing games. Some persons like to ride bicycles and play marbles. They can also do their work while playing games. For example, those who ride bikes can practise their math by adding up kilometers and miles. They have to make it fun."

Because of his tender age, Kevin is in no rush to leave university. He will be staying two extra years at NCU, so he should be leaving at about age 20. For the first semester, he will take 16 credits. His courses will include English, math, history, and Bible studies.