Prof Graham Galbraith CBE, the vice-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, has voiced his belief that higher education should be free for British citizens. As he described in a recent interview with BBC Radio Solent, the world has dramatically changed financially for young people. He called on the government to increase financial assistance for students and post-secondary institutions.
Prof Galbraith pointed out that students are increasingly underfunded. “The reality is that young people are finding the finances very, very difficult,” he stated. He talked about how the high cost of education is a huge burden on families. This worry becomes all the more acute considering the institution is facing a £1 million budget deficit for this academic year.
Despite these challenges, Prof Galbraith believes that the University of Portsmouth can maintain its enrollment of British students, largely due to the high fees paid by international students. He highlighted that universities have made significant strides in providing quality education at reduced costs, adding, “Universities have done an amazing job at finding ways of providing the same quality of education at a lower cost but there are limits.”
Considering the government’s decision last week to reintroduce grants, Prof Galbraith told City Monitor that he was both pleased and optimistic. He contended that these grants could help ease some of the financial burden on families. “I don’t think we’re supporting young people the way that we should,” he remarked, emphasizing the need for further government action.
Here, Prof Galbraith speaks more fully about the negative influence student loans have had. He emphasised how most young people view maintenance loans as a serious threat. He believes that a government contribution towards higher education costs should exceed the current expectation that about 12 to 15% of loan amounts will not be repaid over students’ lifetimes.
“I’m one of the people that went to university for free and I honestly believe that if the country is to be the country we want it to be then it should be free for British people and we should be finding ways to support our young people,” he stated passionately.
