The proposed plan of making the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) a digital media university has finally come through. In the second Governing Council meeting (held at NFDC, Mumbai), after Gajendra Chauhan took charge as the chairman, members approved of the vision of BP Singh, the Academic Council chairman. It comprised converting the institute into a digital university where several short term courses would be taught, with a more disciplined approach, credit-based evaluation and more power to the dean and director of the institute.

ALMOST EVERYTHING CAME THROUGH: BP SINGH, ACADEMIC COUNCIL CHAIRMAN
BP Singh, an FTII alumnus who took charge as the Academic Council chairman amidst protests against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, had proposed reforms in the academic structure in January 2016. While members of the Governing Council, which have the likes of director Rajkumar Hirani, actor Satish Shah, former IIM-Bangalore director Pankaj Chandra, readily approved of the change, Singh feels that there is a long way to go. He said, “I am happy that almost everything has fallen in place. It was essential to get everyone to approve this, otherwise, we would have been in a limbo.“ As a part of the change, short-term self-sustained courses will be a part of the campus. “Proper visiting faculty can't be called due to lack of funds in the institute. So, short-term courses will generate enough funds for good faculty,“ he added. While Singh clarified that the present faculty is competent, he also stressed on the need to attract more talent who can teach good cinema. “We need filmmakers who will want to come and teach cinema,“ he shared. Though the 139-day long strike by students was considered to be detrimental at first, Singh stuck to the proposal. “The major problem of the institute was the striking students. We can't be bogged down. Students have their viewpoints and I can't say whether they are right or wrong. But we should look ahead and focus on the core strength of FTII, which should not be left behind,“ Singh said.

FUND GENERATING SHORT-TERM COURSES
While the authorities agreed that fees of students couldn't be increased since many come from rural backgrounds, they gave a thumbs up to introducing short-term courses. “The six courses in the institute will remain. We are looking at three-week or fortnight-long courses, which will cater to professionals who want to learn the art of film-making through different streams,“ shared Bhupendra Kainthola, director of the institute.

AN FTII WRITERS' ACADEMY
In a first, an FTII Writers' Academy will be established where professionals will be taught writing, be it for film, television, internet or short stories. “While many have the art of writing instilled in them, many would want to learn it.We're looking at writers from television and the film fraternity, who can teach writing,“ shared BP Singh.

COURSES CAN BE INTRODUCED SOON
Though the new vision of FTII is to make it at par with other national institutes, one question still remains - How long will it take to be implemented? To this, Gajendra Chauhan, chairman of the institute, shared, “The Governing Council decided to meet in Mumbai in June. And, there was 100 percent attendance. Many issues were unanimously accepted and agreed on. These courses can be implemented in a short notice. They don't require much infrastructure and can be rolled out in six months.“A separate committee of experts from several walks will be helping in designing the new syllabus and finances for a better infrastructure.

BENEFITS OF THE CREDIT SYSTEM
Unlike the annual evaluation process, credit system ensures that students have spent a certain amount of hours for the course. “There is continuous evaluation of both, students and faculty. Since we can't judge a film, which is a piece of art, we will judge the process of filmmaking. And unless students clear all the papers, results can't be processed,“ Singh shared.

MORE POWER TO DIRECTOR
The academic council will now be responsible for the academics of the institute, syllabus making process and studies. An otherwise ambiguous power system, will now be more defined. “I don't have any more power. There is a clear division of power among the director, governing council and academic council. The disciplinary power will be with the director and dean, which is very positive,“ Singh added.

Students remain unconvinced
Students haven't been convinced with the proposal yet. Harishankar Nachimuthu, students association president, told BT on Tuesday, “Holding an important meeting in Mumbai instead of at the campus is itself questionable. Despite our valid arguments at the last academic meeting, the governing council members went ahead with the credit system and more courses. We don't have the infrastructure for more courses and there are backlogs. It will kill the creative space.“ Kainthola, on the other hand, maintained, “Nowhere has it been mentioned that the governing council meeting needs to be held in the campus. It depends on the convenience of the members. So we had gone ahead with Mumbai, since it was convenient.“

FACULTY SPEAKS
A faculty member, on the conditions of anonymity, shared, “It is time for change keeping the digital in mind. Such vision was discussed for a long time. But while doing that, we should not go overboard. Cinema cannot be devalued in the name of digital media. We know that FTII is an island where independent thinking is encouraged. Such a decision will make one cautious.“