LAHORE, Feb 3: The newly-reconstituted King Edward Medical University’s professors have unanimously decided to join the university on deputation. The decision, it is learnt, was taken at the academic council meeting chaired by KEMU vice-chancellor Prof Mumtaz Hassan.

All the professors, who attended the meeting, signed a pro forma expressing their consent to join the university on deputation. The same pro forma would also be circulated among associate and assistant professors serving in the university for their consent.

The university administration plans to send a joint case of all faculty members to the chief minister for their joining the university on deputation. Under the Punjab government rules, all the faculty that will join the KEMU on deputation would be given 10 per cent raise in their salaries.

It is also learnt that VC Prof Hassan also constituted a four-member committee, headed by Prof Zafarullah Khan, to frame rules and regulation for the university faculty. The other committee members are: Prof Muhammad Awais, Prof Riaz Bhatti and Prof Muhammad Akram.

The academic council members had also expressed their concern about their seniority when more faculty members would join the university through the Higher Education Commission. A majority of the professors said they wanted that their existing general cadre seniority should not be affected while they would join the university on deputation.

According to the KEMU Act of 2005, the existing government employees of the King Edward Medical College shall be deemed to be the employees of the university unless they opt for their retention in the government within 60 days of the issuance of the notification of reconstitution of the institute as KEMU. This particular notification was issued on Jan 7 this year.