Key Points
- Jordan Ho achieved a near-perfect ATAR score of 99.95.
- His parents migrated to Australia in 1994.
- Research indicates that children who maintain a home language other than English often excel in their English skills.
Jordan Ho emerged as a star performer in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales, achieving an ATAR score of 99.95.
The score helped North Sydney Boys High - where Jordan is the school captain - claim the top spot in the HSC rankings for the first time, breaking James Ruse Agricultural High’s 27-year reign as the state’s best-performing school.
He also topped the state in Advanced English, a feat he achieved despite Vietnamese being the primary language spoken at home.
Jordan's mother Mai Nguyen and father Tri Viet Ho said they prioritised teaching English to their children from a young age after they arrived in Australia with limited fluency in 1994.
"[Jordan's achievement] is something my family is proud of for all the Vietnamese community," Mr Tri said, adding that topping English "surprised many people".
"English is only used when my son goes to school.
"When I asked Jordan if he needs to attend English HSC tutoring, he explained that he still comprehended the lessons at school and didn't feel the need for additional classes."
Jordan Ho with the NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car during a press conference following the First in Course' awards ceremony. Credit: NSW Government
"English was never in the forefront of our house," he said.
"My wonderful teachers and friends gave me confidence and showed me what I could achieve."
Dr Van Tran is an expert in multilingual children's language education and home language maintenance at Charles Sturt University.
Research indicates that children who maintain a home language other than English often excel in their English skills, she explained.
"Our project, , discovered that Vietnamese-Australian children who have high proficiency in Vietnamese writing also exhibit high proficiency in English writing," Dr Tran said.
"This suggests that maintaining a home language does not have a negative impact on English proficiency."
Earlier studies have similarly highlighted that children who speak a home language before commencing school tend to possess a stronger foundation in language skills and meta-language awareness, Dr Tran said, which helps their acquisition of the dominant language.
"Three key factors contributing significantly to children maintaining a home language include the level of language input from parents, such as speaking and reading books to children in the home language, parents’ positive attitudes towards the home language and culture, and starting home language exposure early in a child's life, from birth onwards."
Jordan and NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car. Credit: NSW Government
"When Jordan read the poems of renowned writers like William Shakespeare and T. S. Eliot, he approached it with a focus on pure feelings and thoughts rather than fixating on marks, and results.
"Until the final days of Year 12, Jordan only took part in a few short courses on HSC exam skills. The school teachers affirmed that he didn't need extra classes."
'Strict but not harsh'
Mr Tri said that he and his wife were "very strict but not harsh" with their children, never punishing their mistakes, even if they fell behind in their studies.
"We are mainly strict so that our children can distinguish between right and wrong, but never use punishment," he said.
Jordan travelled from the family home in Sefton every day to attend his school on Sydney's lower north shore. Credit: suplied
These included attending a two-week 'summer break' course at the Australian National University (ANU), aimed at training and selecting Australian representatives for the international Olympiad.
He now plans to pursue medical studies with the long-term aim of becoming a surgeon.
