Claim
Dele Momodu claims Dorothy Jean Tillman is the youngest person to obtain PhD doctorate in the world.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE. Findings show that Karl Witte received his doctorate from the University of Giessen, Germany, on 10 April 1814 at the age of 13 years 283 days.
Full Text
Education is a powerful agent of change, and improves health and livelihoods, contributes to social stability and drives long-term economic growth.
Few days ago, Nigeria government announced prohibition of individuals under the age of 18 from taking part in the National Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council exams.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman disclosed this when he featured on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program.
Mamman explained that the federal government has directed WAEC, which conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and NECO, which oversees the Senior School Certificate Examination to enforce the 18-year age requirement for candidates wishing to take these exams.
This has received wide condemnation by Nigerians.
Expressing disatisfaction over this development, Chief Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation International magazine, claimed that an American, Dorothy Jean Tillman is the youngest person in the world to obtain a PHD Doctorate at the age of 17.
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Chief Momodu posted a photo of the teenager and on his Instagram verified account and said, “Meet this Chicago teenager, Dorothy Jean Tillman. Ms. Tillman has just become the youngest person in the world to obtain a PHD Doctorate at the age of 17.
“She took her first university course at the age of 10. At the age of 14, Dorothy Jean Tillman had obtained an Associate Diploma, a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree. Now, at the age of 17, she is Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman. Respect!
“And Federal Government via Ministry of Education is saying Nigeria children should wait till 18 years before they write WAEC, NECO and JAMB, what a backward mentality.
Chief Momodu’s on post Instagram gamered over 800 likes and more than 100 comments as at early Saturday morning.
FactWatch observed that this claim was also shared in many WhatsApp groups.
First… Knowing The Slight Difference Between PhD And Doctorate
The main difference between a PhD and a doctorate lies in their focus and scope.
A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is a specific type of doctorate that is research-focused, emphasizing original research, critical thinking, and the creation of new knowledge in a specific field. PhD candidates must conduct extensive original research and write a dissertation that contributes significantly to the field’s existing knowledge. PhDs are common in academia and are pursued by individuals aspiring to become scholars, researchers, or professors.
While Doctorate” is a broader term encompassing all types of doctoral degrees, including PhD and Other specialised doctorates, such as
•Doctor of Science – Sc.D.,
•Doctor of Education – Ed.D.,
•Doctor of Business Management – DBM etc.
Verification
First, checks on the Guineas World Records showed that Chief Dele Momodu claim is false.
According to the Guineas World Records, the youngest person to be awarded a PhD is the German child prodigy Johann Heinrich Friedrich Karl Witte (born 10 July 1800; better known simply as Karl Witte), who received his doctorate from the University of Giessen, Germany, on 10 April 1814 at the age of 13 years 283 days.
The record stated that Karl Witte’s doctorate was issued during a period when the educational standards of the modern PhD were still taking shape, and it is not clear whether his was awarded for original research (as is standard practice today) or for the breadth of his scholarly knowledge (as was the case in the 18th century and before).
In his father’s 1819 book The Education of Karl Witte, Karl Witte is described as being primarily interested in mathematics at the time, but the book does not mention any specific field.
Karl Witte’s early education was directed by his overbearing father, Karl Heinrich Gottfried Witte, who wrote a strange and rambling book of more than 1,000 pages detailing his intensive home schooling philosophy in 1819. The book was poorly received and sank without a trace, but there is no denying his methods yielded impressive results. Karl Witte completed another doctorate, this time in law, before he was 17, and was a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Berlin by the age of 23. He went on to have an illustrious career as a law professor and also as a literary scholar, writing several influential books on the work of Dante Alighieri.
An online Doctorate guide website listed Karl White as youngest PhD holder .
See other evidence that supported this Here. .
Also, in a report in May 2024, The New York Times clarified that Dorothy Jean Tillman at only 17, became the youngest person to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State’s College of Health Solutions, United States.
The CNN confirmed this story.
Conclusion
The claim by Chief Dele Momodu that Dorothy Jean Tillman at 17, is the youngest PhD doctorate holder is FALSE after findings.
Credit: FactWatch
