Simon Cowell is keen to put his five-year-old son Eric to work as soon as possible.
In a candid interview with U.S. TV network NBC, The X Factor judge shared his belief that homework should be banned from schools, and revealed he wants Eric to quit education when he's just 10 and immerse himself in the world of work.
"Listen, if I can get him out at 10 to come and work for me then I would," the star candidly admitted. "I was better off out of school than I was in."
Elaborating on his reasons for wanting the youngster to leave education early, the 59-year-old, who has Eric with girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 41, said he wasn't a particularly committed student, and believes his son will be better off without the pressures that education puts on young people.
"I didn't have that major stress about homework, because I would just throw it away," the music mogul shared. "A healthy, happy kid is more important than an over-educated, stressed kid."
Simon, who quit school at the age of 16 and took on low-paid jobs before his music executive dad got him a job at his firm EMI Music Publishing, has previously cited himself as a prime example of why getting an education isn't everything.
Speaking during an interview for BBC Radio 2 back in 2016, the star explained: "I don't understand why you would want to torture someone to be somewhere they don't want to be but actually want to go out into the real world and make a living.
"I really feel bad for people who are like myself who were told if you don't achieve this by the age of 16, 18, 21 your life is going to be a failure. I just don't agree with that and I would just say to Eric, 'This is what it is, you've got to do it, learn whatever you possibly can, do as you're told and then if you want to leave at 16 you can come and work with me'."
