SRFTI gets deemed univ tag, to offer degrees, research on film-making
Times of India | 24 April 2025
12 Kolkata: Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were notified as institutions deemed to be universities under a distinct category, announced the education ministry on X on Wednesday.
SRFTI director Samiran Dutta told TOI the new status would provide a scope for proper academic research on filmmaking at the institute, which would now be able to confer degrees instead of diplomas. "The existing courses will award master's degrees. We have also designed UG courses and will first introduce them from SRFTI's Northeast campus. Though we would have loved to introduce this course from this academic year, I think we will be able to start only from next year," he said.
The status, which was granted under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, and notified according to the UGC advice, will pave the way for both SRFTI and FTII to launch doctoral, research and innovative academic programmes, adhering to UGC norms and NEP 2020 guidelines. They can participate in NIRF rankings and integrate with the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC).
Once launched, four-year undergraduate courses will be offered at SRFTI. Unlike at other universities, the first two years of UG at SRFTI will have the same syllabus for every student to encourage a holistic approach. "As they progress, students will decide on their specialisation. The faculty will help identify courses best suited to individuals. The reason for designing this course structure is to acknowledge that the choice of subjects is different at the film school from what is offered at other varsities. Students wishing to pursue these courses may not yet have exposure to the subjects we teach. Sometimes, a student of acting realises he/she is more interested in studying direction. We want to keep this space open for students. This is in accordance with the NEP," Dutta said. The move will also support the idea of studentship. "Students can take a gap year and return to their academic curriculum later," he added.
The recent notification has also raised questions on the significant time lag in course completion at SRFTI. In contrast to other universities, where academic programmes are rigidly structured within fixed time frames, several batches at SRFTI reportedly took over six years to complete their comprehensive three-year diploma programme. This extended duration has been viewed as adverse for students, as it hampers their ability to finish time-sensitive projects — an essential requirement once they transition into professional roles in the industry. "Sometimes projects take a long time to complete. But as we have to adhere to the Academic Bank of Credits and get NAC accreditation, we can't afford any delay in course completion," Dutta said.