Students from schools in St George and Sutherland Shire top HSC courses

He used an outside tutor to complete the HSC course so his school was not included in the First in Course merit list released last Thursday.

"From a young age I have had a passion and love towards my language and my culture," Sijarthan said. "Thanks to the Australian Tamil community, I was able to learn Tamil as a HSC subject and succeed in it.

"I would love to encourage more students to learn their mother tongue."

Earlier

Five students from schools and campuses in St George and Sutherland Shire have topped the state in their respective HSC subjects.

They were among 118 students to come first in a 2020 Higher School Certificate course and were honoured at a First in Course awards ceremony in Sydney today, which was live streamed this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

They are:

Sara Sayadi, Beverly Hills Girls High School; Arabic Extension;

Zara O'Mahoney, St Patrick's College Sutherland; Construction;

Oliver Crowther-Miller, Menai High School; Information and Digital Technology;

Maria Kontau, Saturday School of Community Languages, Kogarah High School Centre; Modern Greek Continuers and Modern Greek Extension.

Taylah Pye, TAFE NSW Loftus campus; Tourism, Travel and Events.

Taylah studied the course at TAFE NSW Loftus campus while also completing her other HSC subjects at St Patrick's College Sutherland.

Taylah and Zara are lifelong friends who grew up together in Woronora and attended the same primary school before heading off to high school together. They supported each other through their HSC exams with Taylah often encouraging Zara to take a break from her studies to go for a walk with their dogs.

Zara said she had always had an interest in sustainable living. She said studying Chemistry, one of her favourite subjects, helped her understand how things worked, but she realised studying Construction would allow her to apply her knowledge in a practical sense.

She plans to study Engineering at university.

Meanwhile, the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic means Taylah doesn't think she will get to utilise her skills in tourism and travel any time soon, so plans to now study Environmental Science next year.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said today students studying the HSC this year endured one of the most challenging years in a generation.

"In a normal year finishing first in an HSC course is an outstanding achievement and to do so in a year like 2020 is a credit to the dedication and talent of the students being recognised today," Ms Berejiklian said.

"Congratulations to the exceptional young people who achieved top marks this year. I am sure your teachers, family and friends are incredibly proud of you."

More than 66,000 students completed their HSC this year while a further 8800 studied one or more HSC courses throughout the year.

NSW Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said 126 awards were announced today, with seven recipients topping more than one course.

"This is an inspiring cohort of students and I congratulate them for rising to the occasion. The First in Course award recognises a student's intellect, perseverance and a passion for learning that will hold them in good stead for the future," Ms Mitchell said.

"Thank you to the experienced and dedicated NSW teachers who, along with family and friends have supported and encouraged these young people to achieve at the top of their class in a year like no other."

2020 HSC students who sat at least one exam will receive their results by SMS, email and online from 6am tomorrow, December 18.

All Round Achievers, Top Achievers and Distinguished Achievers merit lists will also be announced tomorrow.

Details: To view the full First in Course list click here.