Thiruvananthapuram: Former minister for higher education R Bindu said the proposed conversion of College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) into a constituent college of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) could undermine CET’s autonomy. She added that it would disrupt CET’s independent development and put its budgetary allocations at risk of diversion.In a statement Bindu alleged that the proposal was intended to conceal KTU’s structural and academic deficiencies rather than promote CET’s growth. Implementing it without assessing the long-term academic, administrative and financial consequences would harm the state’s higher education interests, she said.KTU continues to function largely as an affiliating and examination-conducting university despite receiving govt land and financial support, Bindu alleged. It has not developed a comprehensive academic campus, strong research departments or centres of excellence of national standing, she said.Instead of taking over an established govt engineering college, KTU should develop its permanent campus, academic departments, research infrastructure and administrative systems. The weaknesses of one institution could not be addressed by absorbing another successful institution, she said.Bindu said transferring CET’s govt allocations to KTU could jeopardise the college’s development. There was no guarantee that the funds would not be diverted to meet the university’s other requirements, she said. The move could end CET’s independent development path, built through decades of govt investment.She also objected to transferring CET, now under the govt’s direct control, to a university where the elected state govt’s administrative influence was allegedly limited and the chancellor’s influence remained strong.Bindu termed ‘dangerous’ the Save University Forum’s argument that transferring CET’s budgetary allocation to KTU would ensure the college’s continued development and preserve affordable education. The proposal amounted to sacrificing CET to rescue KTU, she alleged.The state should instead develop CET as an autonomous technical institution of national importance, with full academic autonomy, an independent academic council, degree-granting powers and a framework enabling it to attract research funding directly, she said.KTU should be strengthened by developing its own academic and research capacity, permanent campus and teaching departments, rather than by compromising CET’s identity and future growth, Bindu said.
