PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), Port Harcourt, says about 600 current Rivers State Government scholarship students could face disruption to their medical education because of its ongoing dispute with the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The university made the disclosure in a public notice signed by its Registrar, Peter I. Akubuiroh, Esq.PUMS said it had avoided escalating the dispute because of the possible effect on the students and their families. According to the university, it has kept the scholarship students on campus for the past four months despite outstanding school-fee payments.
PAMO said it has also continued to cover the students’ tuition, feeding, accommodation and other related expenses during the period.
The university said the Rivers State Ministry of Education has supervised the scholarship scheme since it began.
It added that the ministry holds records of transactions, agreements and other dealings between the Rivers State Government and the university.
PAMO University said it had fulfilled all obligations set out in the Memorandum of Understanding governing the scholarship arrangement.
The institution also explained that it operates as a private university. Therefore, it said, neither the Rivers State Government nor the Rivers State House of Assembly appropriates funds directly to the university.
PAMO said the dispute could therefore affect the continuation of arrangements involving the scholarship students if the outstanding issues remain unresolved.
The university did not provide details in the notice about the amount of outstanding fees or the specific issues at the centre of its dispute with the House of Assembly. The statement comes as the affected students continue their medical education under the Rivers State Government scholarship scheme.
For the students, any interruption could affect their academic programme, while their families could also face uncertainty over the continuation of their education.
