According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), renowned film-making institutes such as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata have been accorded deemed-university status.
The new status will allow them to issue degrees rather than diplomas and to offer PhD studies.
"FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata, have been granted deemed-to-be university status under section 3 of the UGC Act. The status has been notified following recommendation made by the University Grants Commission," a senior MoE official said.
"Both institutes will launch doctoral, research and innovative academic programmes. They will also participate in NIRF Rankings and integrate with Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). Aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, this landmark decision will pave the way for greater autonomy, innovation and academic excellence in film and media education," the official added.
The Government of India established FTII in 1960, on the premises of the former Prabhat Studios in Pune. It was once known as the 'Film Institute of India' and was part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
In 1971, FTII was renamed the 'Film and Television Institute of India' (FTII), and it immediately began in-service training programmes for Doordarshan, India's public broadcaster.
The Television Training Wing, which was previously based in New Delhi, moved to Pune in 1974. Following that, the institute received full support from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
In 2017, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) approved equivalency to the institute's six PG Diploma Programmes with Master's Degree.
The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, named after the legendary maestro Satyajit Ray, was India's second national centre of cinema education, established in 1995 as an autonomous academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The institute currently offers three-year postgraduate degrees in cinema in six filmmaking specialisations, as well as two-year postgraduate programmes in electronics and digital media in six specialisations.
