FTII Pune, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute granted university status: Education Ministry

NEW DELHI: Renowned film making schools-- Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata-- have been granted deemed-to-be university status, according to Ministry of Education.

The new status will empower them to award degrees rather than just diplomas and also offer doctoral programmes. "FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata, have been granted deemed-to-be university status under section 3 of the UGC Act. The status has been notified following recommendation made by the University Grants Commission," a senior MoE official said.

"Both institutes will launch doctoral, research and innovative academic programmes. They will also participate in NIRF Rankings and integrate with Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). Aligned with vision of National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, this landmark decision will pave way for greater autonomy, innovation and academic excellence in film and media education," the official added.

FTII was set up by the Government of India in 1960, in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Studios in Pune. Formerly known as the 'Film Institute of India', it was a department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In 1971, FTII came to be known as the 'Film and Television Institute of India' (FTII) and soon started in-service training programs for Doordarshan, India's public broadcaster.

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History of FTII, SRFTI

The Television Training wing, which was earlier functioning in New Delhi, shifted to Pune in 1974. Thereafter, the institute became fully aided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In 2017, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) had granted equivalence to six PG Diploma Programmes of the institute with Master's Degree.

Located in Kolkata and named after the legendary maestro Satyajit Ray, the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute was the second national centre of cinema education established in 1995 by the Government of India as an autonomous academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Presently, the Institute conducts three year postgraduate programmes in cinema in six specializations of film making and two year postgraduate programmes in Electronics and Digital Media in six specialisations.