The AI will guide students through 435 courses and programmes offered by 2,779 colleges and departments across 15 state universities. (Image generated using AI)
THE GUJARAT government has announced a new initiative that is aimed at improving Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS), the centralised platform for university admissions, and enabling it to guide applicants in their career selection.
Termed G-SAATHI or GCAS Smart AI Assistance and Tech Help Interface, the initiative, which incorporates artificial intelligence with GCAS, is set to be implemented from the coming academic session in June.
“An AI-based guidance system will be developed for the GCAS portal. An estimated six lakh students will get AI guidance. A digital dashboard will be given to 15 state universities,” additional chief secretary (Education) Mukesh Kumar told The Indian Express.
The AI will guide students through 435 courses and programmes offered by 2,779 colleges and departments across 15 state universities. A provision of Rs 7 crore has been made in the 2026-27 budget for the project, which is also expected to ease the psychological pressure and confusion among students during the time of admissions.
The GCAS portal was initially launched by the education department in 2024 to streamline the admission registration process across disciplines offered by government universities in the state.
However, a new portal was put in place in 2025 due to issues such as universities asking students to register again on their web portals due to mistakes in their GCAS form, colleges admitting more students then permitted and institutes not providing details for eligibility for their programmes, fees, vacancy and cut-off of previous rounds in the merit list.
“Through G-SAATHI, students will get help as per their merit and interest…and real-time data will be available with the government. Students will get access to AI-based assessment in Gujarati, Hindi and English, which will speed up the admission process and enable detailed predictive analysis of admissions. Also, with the help of chatbots, students will be provided detailed job market analysis so that they can choose their career option accordingly,” Mukesh Kumar added.
Story continues below this ad
Another initiative taken by the education department this year for the mental health of the students is the “Youth Mental Health Programme”. The provision of Rs 4.69 crore has been made for the initiative.
“The Youth Mental Health Programme in the state government colleges aims to make students mentally strong and lead them towards a positive attitude, which will also help in their overall development. An estimated 2.5 lakh students will benefit from this scheme,” he added.
He noted that the deployment of counsellors to 186 government colleges of higher and technical education in the state will begin in June.
Ritu Sharma is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express' Gujarat bureau, an editorial position that reflects her experience and Authority in regional journalism. With over a decade of concentrated reporting experience, she is a highly Trustworthy and specialized journalist, especially noted for her Expertise in the education sector across Gujarat and previously Chandigarh.
Expertise
Primary Authority (Education): With over ten years of dedicated reporting on education in both Gujarat and Chandigarh, Ritu Sharma is a foremost authority on educational policy, institutional governance, and ground realities from "KG to PG." Her coverage includes:
Higher Education: In-depth scrutiny of top institutions like IIM-Ahmedabad (controversies over demolition/restoration of heritage architecture), IIT-Bombay (caste discrimination issues), and new initiatives like international branch campuses in GIFT City.
Schooling & Policy: Detailed coverage of government schemes (Gyan Sadhana School Voucher Scheme), the implementation and impact of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, teacher recruitment issues, and the impact of national policies like the NEP.
Student Welfare: Reporting on critical issues such as suicide allegations due to caste discrimination, and the challenges faced by students (e.g., non-delivery of NAMO tablets). ... Read More
