The Government Film and Television Institute (GFTI), the lone State-owned film institute in Karnataka, is set for a syllabus overhaul that many fear will rob it of its character.
The Department of Technical Education (DTE) is not only downgrading the eligibility criteria for admissions to the diploma course in sound recording and cinematography, but is also introducing several subjects that experts say will take the institute away from its core purpose.
The curriculum-drafting committee has changed the syllabus omitting all the core subjects — film review, introduction to sound recording, and visual design and composition.
They have been replaced by engineering subjects. The eligibility criterion for admission has been changed from PUC or its equivalent to SSLC pass.
Students of the Government Film and Television Institute, who are protesting over poor infrastructure and alleged injustice by the Department of Technical Education administration, have expressed shocked at these developments.
Meanwhile, members of the film fraternity say it is “an attempt to turn the film institute into a polytechnic course”.
They have demanded immediate revision of syllabus on the lines of the one at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and have sought additional courses in direction, scripting, editing, acting, and production design.
Turned down
Earlier, the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) had come forward to take GFTI under its wing to develop it as a world-class film education centre.
The FTII had also shown interest in extending academic support to GFTI if asked by the Karnataka government. But neither offer was accepted.
The students, who are protesting against what they call “apathy” of DTE in revamping GFTI, had approached the High Court of Karnataka seeking justice. The court, in December last year, directed the DTE to meet the students’ demands.
“Despite [this], the DTE has not done anything so far. Instead, it is degrading the premier film institute into a polytechnic,” said Shameer Ahmed, a final-year sound engineering student of GFTI.
Interestingly, back in 1998, when the government signed an MoU with World Bank seeking funds to build the institute, the eligibility for two courses was raised from SSLC or pass in equivalent examination to PUC (Science) pass. “Now the DTE gone back to SSLC as eligibility criteria,” said Agin Basanth, a student of cinematography.
However, H.U. Talawar, administrative officer, DTE, defended the decision saying it would attract more students for the technical courses. He also cited norms of the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for the change in syllabus.
“More students were showing interest when the basic qualification was SSLC. The admission rate dropped after upgrading it to PUC. We have already received 28 applications for making SSLC as qualification,” he said, adding that syllabus has been changed following a report from the curriculum committee.
When asked about the discontentment among students and the film fraternity, he said nobody has complained in this regard so far.
On the failure to turn GFTI into a full-fledged film institute, he said the idea would be looked into after assessing the outcome of the three-year course commencing this year.
Film fraternity concerned
When students began protesting against the alleged apathy of the government in improving the state of things at GFTI, film personalities such as Girish Kasaravalli, G.S. Bhaskar, Deepa Dhanraj, sound recordist Somashekar, and S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu intervened and impressed on the government the need to make GFTI a nationally reputed institute. They said Karnataka lacks film institutes, unlike its neighbouring States.
A delegation of students represented by film personalities met Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra and suggested that a film fraternity committee be formed to submit a report on improving GFTI. But little has come of it.
Mr. Kasaravalli pointed out that while its neighbouring States have world-class film institutes, Karnataka is struggling. Adarsha, a private institute, is suffering because of its own limitations, while GFTI is lagging behind because of government apathy of and lack of industry connections. “Under the circumstances, how can one expect quality from the institute’s students?” he asked.
Admission restricted to Kannadigas
The decision of the DTE to restrict admissions to students who have studied in Karanataka for at least five years from class 1 to 10 (SSLC) has become a bone of contention. cause of concern for the students in other parts of the country.
Interestingly, admission numbers to the two courses at the institute were abysmally low and the situation improved from 2014 with students from Kerala joining in big numbers. Students from the neighbouring States, who cannot afford to study at private film institutes, pin their hopes on GFTI.
With this restriction, they will be denied an opportunity to learn the film craft, said Shameer Ahmed, a sound engineering student. However, H.U. Talawar, administrative officer, DTE, said unfilled seats would be allotted to students from other parts of the country.
