Making KEMU a college again | PU okays syllabus changes

'Making KEMU a college will be strange'Lahore, April 14:

All political parties supported upgrading the King Edward Medical College (KEMC) to a university, and again converting it into a college would be a strange decision, KEMU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Zafarullah Khan said on Monday. He was addressing a gathering of students and doctors at the KEMU campus. He said the institute was given the status of a university in 1999, and all political parties had welcomed the decision. "A middle school can be made high school, a college can be made a university, but making a university into a college is strange," the VC said. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was being given invalid information regarding the KEMU. The VC also urged the students to raise their hands if they wanted KEMU to retain the status of a university. The entire student body raised its hands before dispersing peacefully. Khan said the university was providing transport, clean water and girls' hostels to the students for the first time. He said the university's first convocation in December 2008 was marked by the prime minister's visit, when he offered to resolve any problems the university was facing. He said the only demand put before the prime minister was construction of female hostels. Daily Times
KEMU status to be ratained: CMLahore: Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that present status of King Edward Medical University will be maintained and it will be made a best university. He also directed to constitute a high level committee for this purpose which will submit its recommendations within two weeks for making King Edward Medical University a prestigious university of the world. This was decided in a meeting held regarding KingEdward Medical University at Chief Minister's Secretariat, here today, which was also attended by MNA Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq, Secretary Health, Dr. Amir Aziz, Vice Chancellor, professors, senior teaching staff and students. Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that King Edward Medical College had an important place in the world and this college produced prominent doctors who are rendering their services throughout the world. He said that now King Edward Medical University should be given the same status as was acquired by this college and in this regard it is the responsibility of Vice Chancellor, Principal, Medical Superintendent and all other concerned staff to take all possible measures for granting it status of best university of the world. He said that a committee is also being constituted for making the performance of King Edward Medical University exemplary which will review all aspects regarding improvement of university and will submit its comprehensive recommendations in this regard. Earlier, participants of the meeting, teaching staff and students informed about their suggestions. F.P. Report
KEMU VC shows medics the doorLahore: An unpleasant and embarrassing situation was created when King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Vice Chancellor Monday humiliatingly asked Principal Allama Iqbal Medical College and president KEMColian International Forum Prof Dr Javed Akram, Dr Amir Aziz and some other prominent doctors to leave the King Edward Medical College building. The doctors, mostly against giving King Edward Medical College a university status, went to KE to attend an emergency meeting convened to deliberate upon the varsity issue.
The KEMColian office bearers, former senior teachers and students gathered in front of the VC office and registered their strong protest against the varsity VC and administration. The media men invited to cover the proceeding of the meeting too were asked to leave the institute. It is worth-mentioning that KEMColian is a body of former and present students of KEMC. This body recently had elected Dr Javed Akram elected its president.
The Saturday's incident also drew new line between the medical community, brought the pro-varsity and anti-varsity groups face to face.Soon after the incident, the situation got worsened when students from the both sides came face to face and exchanged hot words blaming the seniors of each other's group for the unpleasant happening. The matter was, however, resolved on the intervention of the senior doctors when the clash was imminent.
KEMColian president Prof Dr Javed Akram, senior vice president Prof Dr Amir Aziz, Prof Dr Amjad and a large number of former medical teachers including Prof Mahmood A Malik, Prof Ghulam Sarwar, Prof Abdul Aziz, and scores of students later gathered outside the VC office and addressed a press conference against Vice Chancellor Prof Zafar Ullah Khan.
Addressing the newsmen, Dr Javed said that they were invited by Prof Zafar Ullah Khan as guests to attend a joint meeting in which the present and former students and doctors of the university have been invited to discuss the issue of varsity status for the premier medical institute.
He said he along with other doctors was waiting for the commencement of the meeting at Council Room when Vice Chancellor, KEMU appeared there and asked them to leave the place immediately.
Dr Javed told when Dr Zafar Ullah was asked why he was asking them to leave the place, he responded: "I will not allow anybody to talk to the media men without seeking prior permission from me. Being head of the institute I have the right only to talk to the newsmen on the issue."
Prof Javed said that it was perhaps the first incident ever occurred in the history of the KEMU when a VC humiliated most respectable medical teachers including Prof Mahmood A Malik. He said the way the VC tried to disgrace the senior medical teachers and the students was not tolerable at all.
Addressing on the occasion, Prof Mahmood A Malik, KEMColian pattern in-chief, criticized Dr Zafar saying it is a very shameful attitude shown towards medical teachers by a VC.
Prof Dr Amir Aziz and Prof Amjad told the newsmen that Prof Zafar Ullah himself invited them in the meeting as guests late night on Sunday. They said that an emergency meeting was convened on Sunday night in which the VC requested them their support for university and also pledged his support in favour of the restoration of KEMC too.
As soon as they reached the university, they said, Dr Zafar Ullah Khan taking 'U-Turn' from his stance and without any reason asked them to leave the institute.
"His act is highly condemnable", they said and added, "They would take up the issue with the Chief Minister".
Interestingly, some professors of the KEMU including Prof Dr Arshad Cheema were also present at the Press conference in the support of the KEMColian office bearers. The same professors were earlier the supporter of Dr Zafar on the KEMU issue. Medical Superintendent Mayo Hospital Dr Zahid Pervaiz was also among the victims and attended the Press conference held in protest against the VC's attitude. The Nation

Former KEMU students criticise VCLahore: KEMC (a union of former KEMU students) on Monday criticised the King Edward Medical University (KEMU) vice chancellor for holding a 'political' procession by suspending the classes and forbidding paramedical staff from performing their duties.

KEMC President Dr Javed Akram, Dr Amir Aziz, Dr Sarwar Chaudhary, Dr Salman Kazmi, Dr Amjad, and others strongly criticised the KEMU VC for bringing out students from their classes and holding a procession in the Library Hall. They demanded that the college should be restored for under-graduate students and the KEMU should work on research and post-graduate projects. Daily Times


Source: http://www.interface.edu.pk/students/April-09/Making-KEMU-college-again.asp