St Xavier’s College refuses to join GCAS once again

Ahmedabad: St Xavier's College has refused to participate in the system this year despite the govt's announcement to include autonomous colleges in the Gujarat Common Admission Service (GCAS),The state govt decided to conduct admissions to colleges affiliated with govt universities, including Gujarat University (GU), through GCAS. As part of this move, all autonomous colleges were also directed to join the centralized admission process. However, St Xavier's College, which had earlier too opposed the move, has once again declined to be part of GCAS.Sources said that if the govt allows an exemption to St Xavier's College, other autonomous institutions — 10 to 12 of them — may also demand similar relief. This could lead to a larger conflict just as the admission season begins, they said.Earlier, several universities, including GU, had expressed dissatisfaction with GCAS , but were compelled to adopt it in the interest of uniformity. Education experts have pointed out that the centralized process often starts late and continues for an extended period, inconveniencing students. Private universities tend to fill a majority of their seats before the GCAS process concludes.Meanwhile, the ABVP organized a rally demanding that if GCAS is implemented, private universities should also be included. It also raised other concerns related to the system.