PUNE, January 4: Mohan Agashe, Director of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), yesterday decided to put on hold his ``conceptual proposals'', calling it his last step towards paving the way for an amicable relationship with striking students.The proposals, which students claimed were aimed at privatisation of the premier institute, have been one of the main reasons behind the unrest on the campus for the past fortnight.
``I will withhold all my conceptual proposals till the time the revised syllabus, after its examination by the faculty on the five parameters is completed in the given time-frame of four months and the syllabus is placed again before the Academic Council for its recommendation,'' Agashe announced at a hurriedly called Press conference.
While reiterating that he still believed in the positive aspects and utility of his proposals which had been aimed at resolving long term issues, Agashe stressed that he had decided to withhold them because they seemed to be creating
useless ``anxiety, fear, phobia and despair on the campus instead of the hope and reassurance'' he had wanted to generate.
Agashe has gone through one of the worst phases of his life, facing students' unrest with most of the ire directed against his ``conceptual proposals''. ``I have gone a step further than a handshake,'' Agashe said, elaborating that if an atmosphere of trust and understanding did not prevail, any kind of constructive and creative activity was impossible.
The next Governing Council meet is scheduled for January 23 when the appointment of another chairman after Mahesh Bhatt's resignation is expected to be discussed. Agashe stated that he had not been served an official notice by the students about their hunger strike, which Press reports have quoted as starting from January 7.
The bones of contention
Agashe's nine ``conceptual proposals'' , include radical restructuring of both academic and administrative departments of the FTII, combining academic faculties of Film and
Television wing, and merging two maintenance sections to take care of all equipment.
His other proposals are on making training in TV and video a specialty, giving newly admitted students the chance to pursue the same like other specialisations; identifying the lower end of equipment required for training as against equipment required for production; and, accordingly restructuring training exercises and implementing the revised syllabus as approved by the committee of experts.
The proposals which drew the maximum flak were the ones related to reviewing and reorienting financial strategies to develop polices for generating income, which would be able to take care of 30 to 40 per cent of the institute's total expenditure, redefining student fee structure in light of new economic policies and initiating short term training and retraining courses on payment basis for professionals already working in the industry.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
