President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gave vice chancellors a marching order to expel students with less than 0.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) from next academic session.
Such students, he said, are unserious elements that should not be accommodated any longer in higher institutions.
The President also cautioned governing councils and managements universities against muzzle-flexing and ego-tripping, which he said had thrown affected universities into avoidable crises.
Buhari spoke at the 31st convocation of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
He further assured his administration was committed to the 2009 agreement entered into with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This, he noted, led to the recent setting up of a committee to renegotiate the contentious agreement.
Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Onwuka, told vice-chancellors and their managements to practise transparency, accountability, fairness and ensure discipline.
He said: “We must stop to continue housing adventurers, who have no business remaining in the universities beyond the time specified for their studies in the universities.
“In that wise, it is being proposed that at the end of this academic year, any student with less than 0.5 CGPA should cease to be a student of the university and should be shown the way out.
“The universities must continue to have people who are serious in what they have come to do.
“If you have less than 0.5 in your CGPA, you are out. You are out for good so that the space will be left for those who have come to do serious business.
On governing council, he charged them to avoid ”unnecessary muzzle-flexing and ego-tripping that throw affected universities into avoidable crises.
“They must look after the welfare of staff and students and ensure proper development of their universities.
On the contentious 2009 agreement with ASUU, Buhari pleaded with the lecturers to give peace a chance, by coming to the negotiation table in the best interest of higher education.
He reassured ASUU and other unions that government was committed to quality education in the universities and other layers of the education sector, including the welfare of staff in the system.