Below are two statements:
Statement I: India is among the countries that spend the lowest per student on higher education worldwide.
Statement II: In India, the percentage of expenditure on universities and higher education was 0.77% in 1990-91 and decreased to 0.66% in 2004-2005.
Based on the above statements, select the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct option is A

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, which makes option (a) the right choice. Statement I asserts that India is among the countries that spend the lowest per student on higher education, which aligns with multiple analyses of global education spending showing India's relatively low per capita expenditure on higher education. Statement II, which specifies a decrease in the percentage of GDP spent on universities and higher education from 0.77% in 1990-91 to 0.66% in 2004-2005, is supported by historical data from government budgetary allocations to higher education over the years.
Information Booster:
Option (b): Claiming both statements are incorrect contradicts existing data on India's education spending trends.
Option (c): While it supports the correctness of Statement I, it inaccurately refutes the historically documented reduction in GDP percentage spent on higher education in India as outlined in Statement II.
Option (d): This option incorrectly refutes Statement I while correctly affirming the data in Statement II, overlooking the context that India’s spending is relatively low compared to global standards.