Without apparently conducting any detailed research, these arguments were accepted by the Administration as being valid in Hong Kong, and were reflected in its proposal to the Executive Council, despite the somewhat different circumstances of the two places - university graduates in Hong Kong would perhaps be more fortunate in their job prospects, and the availability of domestic help would probably allow more women graduates to remain in employment after having a family. The lack of detailed research could possibly be attributed to the haste with which the scheme had to be introduced in time for its commencement in the academic year 1969-70.
113.
Because of criticisms in the past over the administration of the system of scholarships and bursaries by a Government department and that the composition of the student body was therefore to some extent influenced by an authority outside the Universities themselves, the Administration proposed that the detailed operations of the scheme should be administered by a Joint Universities Committee composed of university officials and students, with assistance from the Secretariat of the University Grants Committee. Government would exercise financial control over the scheme by means of a cash limit which would be calculated according to a formula based on maximum assistance to an arbitrary 25% of the student population. Accordingly, cash limits were set for the first five academic years 1969-70 to 1973-74, and the Joint Universities Committee was allowed to make awards within the funds available on whatever criteria it chose to establish.
114.
The cash limit, as a means of control, was however rather short-lived. After the scheme had been put into operation, the existence of this limit apparently prevented all students judged eligible to receive assistance in accordance with the criteria laid down by the Joint Universities Committee from getting sufficient assistance to cover all their academic and living expenses. Whilst this was envisaged in the 1969 Executive Council Memorandum, it was regarded as a breach of the objective of the scheme that no student should be unable to accept a place for lack of means. Therefore a request was made by the Joint Universities Committee, and supported by the Secretary, University Grants Committee, for an increase in funding. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council was asked in September 1972 to revise the method of financing so that the requirement for funds would be assessed annually based on the students' needs in the previous year. This request was approved and the cash limit was thus effectively lifted. As a result the Government was committed to meeting the full cost of a scheme over which it did not exercise detailed control, a situation which does not appear to have been fully realized at the time.