The Samarth Portal is a platform designed to improve college access for students in Assam. The portal was launched by the Government of Assam on June 15, 2023, with the aim of making the college admission process more transparent and accessible to students across the state. However, despite the government's efforts to streamline the admission process and ensure timely admissions, students continue to face challenges in securing admission to their desired courses and institutions. This has resulted in a high number of students being left without a seat, and many having to settle for courses or institutions that are not their first choice. Speaking to G Plus, a student from Delhi Public School said, "Since there was a delay in the admission process I took my admission outside the state. I was worried that I didn't get here. I had to take admission to a private college which was not my plan." This has not only caused frustration among students and teachers but has also resulted in a negative impact on the overall college admission process in the state. Speaking to G Plus, a retired professor of Dibrugarh University said, “Delayed admission not only affects students but also has wider implications for the education system and the economy as a whole. It can lead to a loss of talent and potential, as students who are unable to secure admission may have to forego higher education or seek opportunities outside the state" Despite being a digital portal, access to Samarth has not only failed to speed up the admission process but has rather caused further delay. Speaking to G Plus, a senior professor at Handique Girls’ College said, “We still haven’t got access to the Samarth portal, so we are not able to do the verification process.” The principal of a prominent college seeking anonymity said, “The whole process has delayed our admission process. Although students are applying to our college, we are worried whether these students will really study in our college or not.” “Most of the students have applied to private universities and colleges so if they took admissions there, they won’t apply to our colleges. That way we are losing many students in our colleges”, the principal further said. “Some courses are offered at both the government and the private colleges. But since there is a delay in admission to government colleges, some students choose private colleges and enrol in these programmes out of concern that they won't meet the cut-off grades, however when admission to the government colleges starts and if they find themselves eligible for admission in govt colleges, then they rue over their decision of taking admission at private colleges by paying the extra amount”, he lamented. Furthermore, the delay in the verification process has also affected the credibility of the Samarth portal, which was introduced with the intention of making the admission process more transparent and efficient
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