Student counselling centres are struggling to meet the demand for mental health services, which has intensified in recent years. This challenge calls for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of students. During the COVID-19 pandemic the peer helpers at Emthonjeni Student Wellness at Nelson Mandela University facilitated innovative…

The unprecedented magnitude and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have rendered it a highly disruptive and traumatic phenomenon. This paper considers the impact of COVID-19 on South African students and Student Counseling Services in Higher Education. The paper specifically reflects on shifts in student mental health and psycho-social vulnerability…

This conceptual, reflective article explores recent innovations in mental health service provision at a large urban, residential university in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, mental health services at this university were generally offered through face-to-face consultations, with secondary offerings in the form of…

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, resulting in disruptions to education at an unprecedented scale. In response to the urgent need to recover learning losses, countries worldwide have taken RAPID actions to: Reach every child and keep them in school; Assess learning levels regularly; Prioritize…

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has impacted every facet of our lives and challenged service delivery to students within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) at Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa, is situated within the Division of Student Affairs (DSAf) and the centre's…

While all students are affected by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-year student population remains a special category of vulnerability for higher education. This is on account of the way the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted their transition into university and complicated the nature of their entry into and through the formal academic…

This paper describes the process of developing a parallel intervention for HIV-positive mothers and their young children (6-10 years) with a view to strengthening the relationship between them. Strong mother-child relationships can contribute to enhanced psychological resilience in children. The intervention was developed through action research,…

In a special section of the "American Annals of the Deaf", Deaf education and the Deaf community in South Africa are discussed. The special section is organized into 7 segments: a historical overview to establish context, the educational context, educators and learners, postgraduate education and employment, perspectives of Deaf children…

Fifteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented on professional education and practical training. They include: "Essential and Professional Education of Physics Teachers in Poland" (Kazimierz A. Badziag); "Vocational Teaching at a Distance: The New Zealand Perspective" (Dave…