Well done to students

IN Monday's The Herald I was aghast to read the following: "NMMU says it strives for excellence, yet why when there are so many failures in the honours class of students studying CA. I say again your lecturers in that particular course are the problem as even third year students seem to be struggling." It was signed: Parent.

As the parent of one of the students who passed, I would like to say thank you for making those students who passed the heroes that they now are. Thank you for alerting all in the accounting industry to the special 50 or so students who passed this year's BCom Accounting Honours course.

Thank you for ensuring that those 50 or so students will be applauded by their peers for passing under "difficult conditions" with "incompetent lecturers". Thank you for demonstrating that you don't really believe in excellence unless it serves your selfish view of the world.

How dare you, "Parent", attempt to cheapen the incredible efforts of those students who passed? How dare you attempt to take away the sweet victory from those students who passed?

How dare you cheapen the vocation that these students spent hours and hours slaving away for? It is only through excellence that our country will move forward or would you rather we hand out certificates to anyone just to make them happy?

A hard won victory is the sweetest victory.

Alan Straton, Port Elizabeth