NEW DELHI: With the controversy over appointment of Gajendra Chauhan raging, the government is thinking of ways to address the problems in the prestigious FTII, Pune, “institutionally.”
Sources said the government is planning to award pass degrees to all the existing students who have been overstaying in the campus even though the time original time period has been over many years ago. The sources said in some cases students who should have passed out in long ago were overstaying as they had not finished their degrees. So they will be given their certificates and asked to leave soon.
On average, the government spends Rs. 11.08 lakhs on each student. Moreover, no convocation has been held in the institute since 1997.
The FTII students have been continuing with their protests against appointment of Chauhan saying it was an attempt at saffronisation.
In last 55 years of the institute’s history, there have been 39 strikes which adversely impacted the atmosphere of the institute, official sources said.
Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told Rajya Sabha, “There are concerns about non completion of courses in time, no intake for some years due to backlog and overstay of students in the hostels even after their course completion, repeated agitations on any attempt to introduce administrative & academic restructuring so as to foster academic discipline in the campus.”
Citing examples, the minister said, “For a 3 year post graduation course the oldest batch of 2008 is still pursuing their course in the institute. Till recently, about 40 students of 2008 and 2009 batches were overstaying in the hostel even after their courses were completed and had vacated the hostels only after administrative action was taken by the Institute.”
Rathore even cited complaints from the faculty members about being threatened, late night parties at the institute, theft of valuable equipment, damage of properties by the students have also been reported.