Which of the following were important aspects of Ninth Five Year plans (1997-2002) pertaining to higher education in India.
(A) Improvement in quality and systemic efficiency
(B) Conferring autonomous status by UGC on selected colleges
(C) Encouraging research in higher education
(D) Vocationalisation of higher education
(E) Improvement of quality and relevnace of technical education
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct option is B

The Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) focused on several key aspects of higher education in India, aimed at improving quality and systemic efficiency, enhancing the relevance of technical and vocational education, and increasing institutional autonomy:
· (A) Improvement in quality and systemic efficiency: A key focus was on improving the overall quality of education and enhancing the efficiency of the educational system.
· (B) Conferring autonomous status by UGC on selected colleges: Autonomy was encouraged to allow colleges to innovate and improve academic standards.
· (D) Vocationalisation of higher education: Emphasizing the introduction of vocational courses in higher education to meet market needs.
· (E) Improvement of quality and relevance of technical education: Technical education was targeted for improvement, making it more relevant to industry needs.
(C) Encouraging research in higher education, although important, was not a primary focus during the Ninth Plan.
Information Booster: 1. The Ninth Five Year Plan aimed to promote quality and relevance in higher education and technical education, aligning it with economic growth and employment opportunities.
2. Autonomous status for selected colleges was promoted to increase flexibility and academic freedom.
3. Vocationalisation aimed to bridge the gap between education and employability by integrating job-oriented courses.
4. Emphasis was also placed on technical education, aligning it with industry demands to enhance employability in technical fields.