BENGALURU: A majority of the students at the Government Film and Television Institute have boycotted their final exams, which ended on Monday, to protest the poor quality of education at the institute.
An outdated curriculum and old equipment, besides lack of funds and qualified faculty, pushed the Student Council to start a protest on April 12.
“We have been protesting for more than 40 days now,” says Agin Basanth, president of the Student Council.
Located in Hesaraghatta on the outskirts of Bengaluru, GFTI is said to be the first government institute in the country to offer technical courses in filmmaking.
The college currently offers two courses--cinematography and sound engineering. Of its six lecturers, only two handle the core courses. They are the heads of the respective departments.
“The management treats us as polytechnic students. We expect the college to provide us with holistic knowledge of the film industry, instead of just giving us certificates,” said a student.
The students had earlier met H U Talwar, Director of Technical Education, who said there was no genuine reason for the protest, and that the institution was well equipped.
With no classes conducted, the students claim that they are harassed to take up the examinations. Eighteen students have been expelled for protesting.
“The principal is trying to get the students to take up the exams by pressuring their parents,” said Shameer, a final year sound engineering student.
With the campus located in a remote area, transport and accommodation are not provided, say the students. The hostel built in 2014 is still not open. The students also accuse GFTI authorities of not hearing them out. Principal Renuka Naidu is said to have blocked support for the students from the institute’s alumni.
Sources from the Student Council say she was accused in the 1991 marks list case, pending in court.
When contacted, Naidu said: “Faculty members are appointed according to government rules. I have already spoken to the commission appointed by the DTE and submitted my report. We are yet to get funds. There are no clarifications to be made from the institution.”
Alma mater of many famous cinematographers and sound engineers, GFTI was extracted from SJ Polytechnic, with assistance from the World Bank. The institute has been functioning under the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Government of Karnataka, since then.
When compared to their counterparts in other film institutes, students of GFTI feel inferior.
Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and other colleges in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are well funded and have experienced faculty members. Unlike those, GFTI does not have an autonomous governing body to control its academic and administrative affairs.
The protest has gained support from the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat and also from industry experts like Girish Kasaravalli and Rajendra Singh Babu.
“The curriculum here doesn’t provide the students any exposure. GFTI can be a full-fledged film institute. As a temporary measure, we can hold fast-track classes, impart our knowledge and conduct examinations. We should not let such an institution die,” Kasaravalli said.
Multimedia Exam On Paper
Sources claim the staff lock up students to conduct practical exams, with no invigilator to watch them.
Multimedia exams are conducted with no equipment and the head of the department claims that a concept like colour correction--adjusting elements to make a shot look better--can be taught on paper.
Protesters have been stopping exams by not letting invigilators enter the exam hall. As the police said it was a criminal offence, the Student Council has decided to solve the problem the legal way.
Though the Student Council has exact statistics pointing to 95 per cent students boycotting exams, Renuka Naidu puts the number at 50 per cent. She also mentioned that the hostel has not been thrown open as the minister she wants to invite is busy.