FTII students threaten hunger strike, demand revised syllabus

PUNE, Dec 26: With no response from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) said that if the Academic Council’s December 31 meet does not take a decision on implementation of the revised syllabus, they will be forced to go on a hunger strike. Their strike entered the fifth day today.

Meanwhile, in a letter, the students urged Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy to intervene. Implementation of the revised syllabus, dismissal of Director Mohan Agashe’s “conceptual proposals” and scuttling of moves to privatise the FTII are some of the demands.

The revised syllabus had been finalised by the Academic Council 10 months ago. The Council meet will decide whether infrastructure, faculty, money and other parameters are available for implementing the new syllabus. Students fear that director Mohan Agashe is trying to privatise the Central Government grant funded-institute by deliberately stalling a decision on the syllabus and instead bringing in his own “conceptual proposals”.

Meanwhile, in a release issued today evening the students announced the staging of a dharna and a demonstration on December 30, the eve of the crucial Academic Council meet.