Ayan Qureshi, 6, became the world's youngest Microsoft Certified Professional after passing the exam when he was just five years old, a report published by the BBC Asian Network said.

The test is usually taken by people who want to become IT technicians.

Ayan's father Qureshi, an IT specialist, told BBC that he introduced his son to computers when he was three years old to make him understand the functioning of hard drives and motherboards.

"I found whatever I was telling him, the next day he'd remember everything I said, so I started to feed him more information," the report quoted Ayan's father as saying. Ayan's family moved from Pakistan to England in 2009.

"Too much computing at this age can cause a negative effect, but in Ayan's case he has cached this opportunity."

Qureshi told BBC that when the boy had arrived to take the Microsoft exam, the invigilators were concerned that he was too young to be a candidate.

Ayan spends two hours a day learning about operating system and the way programmes are installed, the report said.

The report quotes Ayan's mother as saying, "I'm very happy and very proud, I don't want to see him set a world record every day. But I want him to do his best whatever he does in his life."

The six-year-old told BBC that he hopes to launch a UK-based IT hub similar to the United Sates' Silicon Valley.