Despite commendable scores, many Assam students face challenges securing University seats via the Samarth portal, sparking frustration and anxiety over the opaque admission process
GUWAHATI: Despite achieving commendable scores, many students in Assam are facing major challenges in securing seats in universities and colleges this year. The admission process through the Samarth portal has raised concerns among students with many feeling frustrated and anxious about their future.
But the question remains: Why many students are complaining that despite scoring decent marks they are not getting admission?
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Talking to GPlus, Sweta Prasad, a recent graduate from a college under the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), expressed her distress, saying, "We, the students of AHSEC, are anxious as we aren't getting seats in government colleges. From the beginning, there is no seat for AHSEC students. The Samarth portal is not revealing the percentage and board. Why? If scoring 70-90+ and passing with a decent score isn't enough to get admission to government colleges, what will we do? Every middle-class family can't afford private college fees."
"A student who scored 67 is getting a seat, but a student who scored 70 isn't getting a seat under the OBC quota? Why?", Prasad asked.
This discrepancy has caused anxiety among students who fear their hard work might go in vain. The lack of transparency in the Samarth portal's functioning has further compounded their problems, leaving many without clarity on why their applications are being rejected.
Lipi Medhi, another student talking to GPlus said, "I got 87.6% in H.S. and still didn't see my name on any merit list. There are more students like me who didn't get their names on the merit list only because of our caste,"
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This brings to light another layer of complexity in the admission process. Students from certain communities feel they are being unfairly disadvantaged despite having high scores. This has led to a growing sense of frustration and helplessness among them.
Rajashree, a high school graduate from NPS International School with a percentage of 90.8%, shared her frustration with the admission process. "We are actually facing issues with the whole admission process in Assam through Samarth. First, it was compulsory to apply only six times, which limited our chances. I had to fill two forms in one reputed university with different majors, but I didn't get my preferred course. I was expecting to get into Dibrugarh University with Political Science as my major, but I didn't. The last student who got in had 90.4% and was from the same caste. They didn't inform us that they would only check the first preference. I was crying when I saw this. Also, the spot admission option is creating more problems. If we withdraw from our current college for spot admission and don't get a seat, we lose everything."
This points out the restrictive nature of the Samarth portal, where students are limited in the number of applications they can submit. This restriction reduces their chances of getting into their preferred courses and colleges. The lack of clarity regarding preference ranking and the risks associated with spot admissions have only added to their woes.
Another student, John Narzary, who scored 88% and belongs to the ST category, also faced a similar issue. "I got 88%, and I am ST. My name came in B. Borooah College merit list, but the Samarth portal failed to offer me admission. Therefore, I can't withdraw and accept admission in B. Borooah College. Others with lower marks could get the seat for the same subject I had applied for," he lamented.
Despite meeting the merit criteria, procedural issues within the portal prevented him from securing a seat, raising questions about the system’s fairness and efficiency.
Niharika, another student, raised concerns about the high cut-off marks. "I recently appeared for my 12th board examinations, scoring 84.5%. I was aspiring to secure admission to Darrang College in Tezpur. However, I was disheartened to find that my name did not appear on any of the admission lists. The cut-off marks this year are exceedingly high, raising significant concerns for students like me. It is deeply unsettling that marks above 80% are being considered inadequate for college admissions. This situation makes many of us feel that our hard-earned scores are mediocre. If students scoring 80% and above are struggling to secure admissions, what fate awaits those who have scored 70%, 60%, or even 50%? This is a pressing issue that needs immediate attention. Moreover, there has been a lack of transparency from colleges regarding the cut-off marks and the percentage of students admitted. The failure of colleges to publish the required second batch of the second list, despite a government notice mandating it, is particularly alarming. Such actions are unfair to students who have been left in the dark about their admission status. The issue of colleges publishing their third list is crucial for ensuring that deserving students get a fair chance at higher education. What assurance do we have that we will get seats in spot admission?"
This highlights the pressure students face due to high cut-off marks, making it increasingly difficult for even high scorers to secure admission.
Yoshi Dutta, another student talking to GPlus said, "I got 90.4% still I'm not getting a seat in the college I wanted. I know that I have to compromise if someone is scoring higher marks than me . But there is no transparency in the merit lists.
And now there is an issue of spot admission. So the government is saying that cancel your admission and come to the university you want to take admission. But there is 0% guarantee that I can get admission there but still I have to cancel my previous admission. They should first grant admission to us and then ask us to cancel the previous one"
Another student, speaking anonymously, pointed out the competition between state board (AHSEC) and CBSE students. "This time, there's no standardization for AHSEC students. In previous years, there was standardization between CBSE and SEBA students in colleges. But now, CBSE students are getting more enrolled because there's no standardization for AHSEC students."
This underscores the perceived imbalance in the admission process, where AHSEC students feel disadvantaged compared to their CBSE counterparts. The absence of standardization has created a competitive environment that many state board students find unfair.
Talking to GPlus, a senior official from the Assam Education Department explained the reasoning behind the changes. "The standardization has been removed because the pattern of the state board is mostly similar to CBSE. Of 100 marks, 10 marks are for internal assessment. Besides that, 90 marks are divided into two sections: 45 marks for multiple-choice questions and 45 marks for objective questions, which is similar to CBSE. This makes it easier for students to pass the exam. The benchmark has changed now, and the competition is more intense."
The official's explanation highlights the intention behind removing standardization: aligning the state board's assessment pattern with CBSE. However, this change has inadvertently increased competition and created new challenges for AHSEC students.
Another official from the Assam Education Department acknowledged the increased number of applicants this year. "The number of applicants is higher than in previous years, and colleges have seat limits. There are rules being followed in the Samarth portal. We cannot directly release the percentages, but cut-off marks have been shared with the respective colleges."
The official emphasised that the system is designed to manage the high volume of applicants while maintaining fairness. Despite this, students continue to face difficulties due to the limited number of seats and the opaque admission process.
As the admission process continues, "two merit lists have been uploaded, and spot admissions are scheduled from June 29 to July 1" an official from Education Department informed GPlus.
Another senior official from the Directorate of Higher Education explained to GPlus, "The Samarth portal is simply facilitating the process but not making any policies. Colleges are selecting students based on their academic criteria, just like in previous years."
The official also elaborated on how the Samarth Assam Merit List 2024 is calculated: "It considers the number of applicants, seat capacity of courses, government reservation rules, applicant categories (such as General, SC, ST, OBC), special qualifications of candidates, and previous year cut-offs. These factors collectively determine the merit list and the selection process."
