The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has dismissed claims that 38 students were expelled for poor academic performance.
Speaking on Asaase Radio on Monday, March 17, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Ernest Azuntiga, refuted the reports, stating that no student had been officially withdrawn.
According to Azuntiga, the widely circulated document listing Level 100 students with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) below 1.0 was an internal communication from a specific department that was leaked.
He clarified that the document was not an official dismissal notice but rather a reference to provisions in the students’ handbook, aimed at drawing attention to the academic difficulties of the affected students.
“I think that what you have seen in the public domain is actually a leaked document from a department. The head of the department sought to invoke session 421 regulation in the student handbook and draw attention to faculty members of the situation of those students,” he stated.
Azuntiga stressed that the announcement was not definitive, as it was issued by a single department.
He further explained that no department has the sole authority to withdraw students, as such a decision requires a thorough evaluation and approval from all relevant stakeholders before being finalized.
“I must say that communication was not conclusive and a head of department could not on its own dismiss students, as it were. It has to go through processes,” he emphasised.
He refuted the claims that 38 students, who had a CGPA lower than the required 1.0, had been expelled from the university.
“It’s not true that 38 students have been dismissed. What it says is that attention has been drawn to the situation of those 38 students. It goes through a process before a decision is taken,” he added.
On March 11, 2025, news emerged that 38 Level 100 students at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) had been withdrawn from the university due to academic performance issues.
This was confirmed in a letter dated March 7, 2025, signed by Dr. Mohammed Adam, Acting Head of the Department of Social Studies Education (DSSE), which addressed the issue to the department.
“This memo informs you that the attached list of students has been withdrawn from the University, effective immediately,” the letter stated.
“This action is based on the said students’ failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement of 1.0 and/or failure in more than the permissible number of courses after resists, as stipulated in section 4.2.1 of the Revised Undergraduate Students’ Handbook (2019),” the letter explained.
“This decision was arrived at after an audit and review of both their First and Second Semester Examination results (2023/2024 Academic Year), during which the affected students were duly counseled prior to their withdrawal.
“As a result, these students are ineligible to attend Level 200 lectures or take part in the Mid-Semester and End-of-Semester Examinations for Level 200 courses.”
The reason behind the withdrawal was their failure to meet the minimum required CGPA of 1.0 or their inability to pass more than the allowed number of courses after resits, as per section 4.2.1 of the Revised Undergraduate Students’ Handbook (2019).
The memo further explained that after reviewing the students’ examination results from both the First and Second Semesters of the 2023/2024 academic year, they had been counseled before the decision to withdraw them.
Due to their academic standing, these students would not be allowed to attend Level 200 classes or sit for the corresponding Mid-Semester and End-of-Semester Examinations.
The letter also requested that the department update its course registers to reflect the changes, providing detailed information about each student’s index number, name, and the reason for their withdrawal.
The letter instructed, “Please ensure appropriate measures are taken to reflect these changes in your course register.
“The attached document details each student’s index number, name, and reason for withdrawal. Your prompt attention to this matter is crucial,” the letter noted.
Of the 38 students involved, 32 were found to have CGPAs below the 1.0 threshold, while the remaining six had failed more than three courses during the academic year.
