GCAS or Student Harassment? Questions the Education Department Must Answer

 

The idea behind the Gujarat Common Admission Service (GCAS) was to make the admission process easier for students through a single registration platform for various universities and colleges across Gujarat. On paper, it sounds like a progressive step towards digital convenience and transparency in higher education admissions. But the ground reality tells a very different story.

Before GCAS, students could smoothly take admission after their results were declared. The process was comparatively simple, direct, and less stressful. Today, however, students are being forced into a complicated online system that has become more of a burden than a solution.

The government announced that colleges would help students fill out the forms online for free to ensure convenience. Yet the portal demands payment before students can even properly access or verify important course details. Reserved category students are charged ₹150, while students from other categories are charged ₹300. The payment is non-refundable, even if the process fails or the desired course is unavailable.

The system also demands scanned hard copies of documents such as marksheets and Leaving Certificates. Ironically, many students do not even possess physical hard copies anymore because most educational documents are now issued digitally. Despite this reality, the portal continues to function with outdated requirements.

Adding to the confusion, the deadline has been declared as 28th May while examinations in many universities are still ongoing. Students who have not even completed their exams are expected to complete admission procedures within a limited timeframe.

The lack of preparation is visible everywhere. Even college staff members are struggling to confidently fill out the forms because they themselves are unfamiliar with the system. During a visit to a nearby B.Ed college, the staff could not properly guide the process due to the portal’s confusing structure and technical difficulties.

A major issue lies in the categorisation of courses. While applying for the Under Graduation regular course for B.Ed, the course itself was not available in the list before payment. The selection of courses and several important details only become visible after the payment is completed. After paying ₹150, nothing meaningful was resolved.

The confusion became worse after contacting the helpline. Internationally, B.Ed is recognised as a bachelor’s degree course. However, the GCAS system categorises it as a postgraduate course simply because it can only be pursued after graduation. According to this logic, a B.Ed graduate is placed in the same category as postgraduate students despite not actually completing a master’s degree like M.A. The explanation provided by the helpline only highlighted the flawed understanding behind the system.

Technical problems make the experience even more frustrating. Even after payment, the portal does not function smoothly. OTP verification repeatedly fails, and students are forced to try multiple times just to proceed to the next step. Every stage feels unnecessarily difficult, not only for students but also for parents and college staff trying to help them.

What was introduced as a “smooth admission service” has instead become a source of confusion, stress, and financial loss for thousands of students. A system created to simplify admissions should not make students struggle at every step. Education should open doors, not create obstacles through poorly planned digital processes.

The Gujarat Education Department must answer why a system introduced in the name of “student convenience” is creating confusion, financial burden, and mental stress for students, parents, and even college staff. If GCAS was truly designed to simplify admissions, why are students forced to pay non-refundable fees before even confirming course availability? Why are outdated document requirements still being demanded in a digital era? Why was the deadline announced while many university examinations are still incomplete? And most importantly, why was such a large-scale admission systemGCAS or Student Harassment? Questions the Education Department Must Answer implemented without proper preparation, technical stability, and staff training?

Students are not experiments for untested digital policies. Education systems should reduce barriers, not create new ones in the name of modernisation.