The management of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, has dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that the institution has increased its tuition fees.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, described the reports as misleading and an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the fast-growing institution.
Speaking in Akure on Monday, Adejuyigbe said, “There are a lot of incorrect narratives in some sections of the media on tuition at UNIMED. We find the incorrect depiction of fees for our programmes by some fifth columnists hiding under the media as an attempt to discredit a rapidly growing institution.”
The VC explained that there was no general increase in tuition fees, noting that only a slight adjustment was made for newly admitted students to maintain the quality of education in light of current economic realities.
“Let me set the record straight: the university did not increase fees across the board as it is being peddled. We only adjusted the fees of freshers to be able to give them the best in the face of the current economic realities,” she clarified.
Prof. Adejuyigbe further noted that the institution maintains transparency in its operations, stressing that the tuition rates are publicly accessible on the university’s website.
“As a transparent institution, our fees are available on the university website for all to see. The fees are competitive compared to other institutions and are highly subsidised by the government of Ondo State,” she said.
On the issue of the National Education Loan Fund the VC disclosed that some verified students were yet to be included in the funding programme despite the university’s efforts.
“Last year, we verified 87 students whose names we took to NELFUND. I personally contacted the head of NELFUND to know why our verified students were not brought into the programme,” she said.
“This year, they have approached us again, and we are trying to verify something because we noticed that our fees were increased, which is erroneous because we didn’t increase the fees recently; they were increased earlier on,” she added.
Addressing concerns over the transfer of the UNIMED Teaching Hospital complex in Akure to the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital, Adejuyigbe clarified that the move did not mean UNIMED’s hospital had been converted.
She explained, “We have three branches, and one of our branches was given over to assist them. We still have our teaching hospital in Ondo. The fact that this has been transferred to them does not mean we cannot have access to it.”
According to her, a memorandum of understanding ensures that UNIMED students and lecturers continue to have unhindered access to all facilities and laboratory resources at the complex.
“One of the things in the MoU is that our students have unhindered access to all the facilities, and our lecturers also continue to train our students and use the laboratory facilities,” she affirmed.
The VC reiterated UNIMED’s commitment to providing quality medical education while maintaining affordability and transparency for students and parents.
