PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has congratulated 13-year-old student and prodigy, Heur TiengKimhong, for passing the high school exam taken on 5-6 December 2022, with a C grade.

The Prime Minister posted a congratulatory message directed to Kimhong on his official Facebook page, writing, "I would like to congratulate Kimhong, who passed the high school exam on 5 December 2022, with a C grade. Grandpa is happy and proud of your efforts."

The Prime Minister not only congratulated Kimhong, but also shared a bit of his background, praising the student’s intelligence. He wrote that Kimhong could read, write, and speak English fluently, could do 4th to 7th grade math, has knowledge on how to research and experiment by watching videos online, and, at the age of two, could read Sanskrit Pali script.

The Prime Minister recalled that when he first met Kimhong on 19 July 2017, he had asked the student to take a math test, search for a location on Google maps, and speak English with his granddaughter.

Seeing Kimhong’s talent, the Prime Minister gifted him a house in Stung Meanchey so that he could continue his studies in Phnom Penh, and also began providing him an annual allowance.

"Since my direct testing with Kimhong until he passed the high school exam at the age of 13 years, 3 months, and 6 days, I can say that Kimhong is a genius,” wrote the Prime Minister. “There aren't many people like this in the world. Kimhong has more ability than me in computing and in English; this is a fact that I have to accept. Based on his ability, we can estimate that if Kimhong enters university at the age of 13, he will graduate at the age of 17."