Sao Paulo - An 8-year-old boy passed the entrance exam for the law school of a Brazilian university, local media reported Thursday. Joao Victor Portellinha, who is technically still in primary school, will not be allowed to attend the Universidad Paulista (Unip) in Goiania, because Brazilian law requires students to have completed at least 11 years of schooling before being admitted to university.
The boy's passage of the exam sparked a controversy in Brazil and cast doubt on the admissions process at Unip.
Miguel Cansado, chairman of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) in the state of Goias, noted that the fact that Portellinha passed shows "the low quality and the commercialization of law studies" in Brazil.
"This fact alone, if it is proved, warrants that the school suffer an immediate intervention by the Education and Culture Ministry," Cansado said.
