KOCHI: The Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) syndicate and the vice-chancellor Dr J. Letha are at loggerheads over chartering a revival plan for Cochin University College for Engineering Kuttanad (CUCEK) at Pulinkunnu. The last syndicate meeting witnessed heated debate with some of the syndicate members on one side and the VC on the other side. While the syndicate members wanted changing Dr P.S. Sreejith as principal of CUCEK, the VC is learnt to have resisted this, but finally the Syndicate forced its decision on the VC leading to a change of guard.
Dr Sreejith has been replaced with Dr P.A. Job who is a professor in mechanical engineering at CUCEK itself. Ironically Dr Sreejith himself was brought in by the VC and the former Syndicate to change the fortune of CUCEK. However, a fact-finding team led by syndicate members M. Swaraj, MLA, and former registrar Dr Chandramohan Kumar to CUCEK recently found that everything was not hunky-dory there. They interacted with the faculty, students and also the local people and prepared a report which was submitted before the recently held syndicate meeting on which the heated discussion took place. The main charge against Dr Sreejith was that he commuted between Kochi and Pulinkunnu and did not go to the college regularly affecting the functioning of the college.
“In fact, we were surprised by some of the exhibits the students from CUCEK put up at the Shastrayaan. They have the potential and they need to be properly supported and for that a pucca system should be put in place and the leadership from the principal and his presence matter a lot. The college needs to contribute to Kuttanadan agrarian economy as well,” said a syndicate member. Cusat is leanrt to be taking steps to build two new hostels for the students and also construct labs for departments. In the NAAC inspection, the chinks in CUCEK were revealed.
