Concerns dismissed over inequality in Cambridge scholarship

The founder of a prestigious scholarship fund set up to help Hong Kong students attend Britain's Cambridge University has moved to quash concerns that places given to students from wealthy backgrounds are costing poorer applicants a chance.

The Prince Philip Scholarship carries a non-means-tested award of GBP2,500 (HK$27,700) per annum and a return air ticket to London. Scholars in need of more financial support can claim up to the full costs of tuition and subsistence after a means test. The university's tuition fees alone cost GBP10,000 minimum annually.

Worries were raised last week that children of families with powerful or wealthy connections have been successful, despite a belief that the awards were intended for less well-off students. One of the six recipients this year is the daughter of Hutchison Whampoa's managing director, Canning Fok.

But the founder of the Prince Philip Scholarship scheme, banker and legislator David Li Kwok-po, said the worries reflected a 'complete misunderstanding' of the scheme.

'There is no shortcut. The awards are all given on the basis of merit,' he said. The question of whether poorer or better-off students won scholarships was irrelevant, he said, as background was not part of the criteria.

One Cambridge alumnus, now working in the financial sector in Hong Kong, wrote to the South China Morning Post pointing out the concerns. 'Over the years, a number of scholarships have been granted, surprisingly, to the sons and daughters of some of the wealthiest and most influential families in Hong Kong,' she said.