The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has announced a five-month course on writing for television fiction from July 3.

A statement issued by the institute on Monday said its aim is to widen and deepen the talent pool of quality TV writers. The 21-week course will be writing-intensive, with constant instruction and mentorship from leading TV screenwriters. Students will come away not only with the knowledge of episodic writing, but also with two full `bibles' for two TV programmes, in two different genres, ready to be pitched to broadcasters. The course will also cover other essential fundamentals of TV screen-writing like nonfiction, equipping students to professionally take up the kind of writing that interests them.

The statement said in the Indian situation, discerning viewers do not respect most of what has been featuring on Indian TV . The daily soaps, dumbed down story-telling and black-and-white characters le ave space for quality content.

The international situation, however, is different with tion, however, is different with some of the finest screen-writing ever on TV. Shows like Game of Thrones, Newsroom, House of Cards, Homeland, Breaking Bad, Narcos and many others have amassed countless followers.

The statement further said the big problem in India, therefore, is that there aren't enough writers qualified to create high-quality shows.

The minimum eligibility for the course is graduation.Experience of writing a blog, copy-writing for advertisement or scripts for film, TV or web are other desirable qualifications.