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University students face a range of material hardships that significantly affect their academic success and overall well-being. The pressure on the cost of living due to inflation poses mental health challenges for students, reducing their ability to make informed decisions. The current study aimed to explore the disruptive impact of inflation on student mental health and academic resilience, and the strategic ecosystem implications for rural universities in South Africa. A qualitative exploratory research design was employed, with 20 self-funded students purposively selected from the University of Venda. The study employed one-on-one semi-structured interviews for data collection, followed by thematic analysis in data analysis. This study identified factors contributing to the lack of funding, including being defunded despite meeting full funding criteria, being affected by the N+ rule (exceeding the funding eligibility duration), and a lack of funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The study also revealed challenges arising from inflation, including declines in academic performance, overstudying, and struggles to meet basic needs. The current study highlights the pressing need for collaborative strategies to support students navigating financial stress amid inflationary pressures. From a business and strategic perspective, the study contributes to higher education management by framing rural universities as interconnected ecosystems requiring coordinated responses. Implications include the need for integrated organizational strategies that align financial aid models, student wellness services, and academic support mechanisms. The findings underscore the importance of capacitating academic and administrative staff to recognize and respond to student distress, while fostering a culture of resilience and inclusivity. At the policy level, the study highlights the need for multi-stakeholder coordination among government, institutions, and private-sector partners to mitigate inflationary pressures through targeted subsidies, flexible funding mechanisms, and infrastructure investment.

This study examined the impact of mental health promotion on coping mechanisms among grade 11 Physical sciences learners. A poor coping mechanism is associated with poor mental health and poor academic performance due to inadequate mental health resources and services. Participants selected using a purposive sampling technique from the accessible population, 08 physical sciences educators and 109 Grade 11 learners from eight targeted schools in the Nkandla Circuit of the Empangeni district made up the sample. The study used a mixed approach and a triangulation research design. The questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. Quantitative data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and thematic analysis was used for interviews. The findings revealed that Physical sciences learners with mental health issues underperform because their coping mechanisms are compromised by inadequate mental health resources and services. The findings of this study are diagnostic, and they assist the Department of Education in improving learner support provided by school social workers in schools. Most participants indicated that school social workers visit the school less frequently, making it difficult to monitor the coping mechanisms of learners with mental health issues. Since most schools lack school social workers, the Department of Basic Education should assign more school social workers to assist learners with mental health issues. Further study is required to determine more academic coping mechanisms used by learners who have mental health issues under the supervision of school social workers. This suggests that if the inadequate supply of mental health support services and medical care were addressed seriously, the high proportion of poor coping mechanisms among grade 11 physical sciences learners with mental health would decrease.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created a disadvantaged student population due to the sudden obligation for distance learning. Poor performance of online educational tools, risk of transmission and staying at home cause stress and anxiety in students. This research examines the effects of usability and accessibility of the online learning system on students’ anxiety in presence of students’ perceived social support as well as students’ perceived optimistic/pessimistic life orientation. The survey instrument prepared for this purpose includes questions about the online learning system used, Covid-19 anxiety, life orientation and perceived social support. Web-based questionnaires were collected from 5,682 students from different universities and the data was analyzed for the role of social support and life orientation on anxiety caused by stress born of distance learning. Findings show that accessibility has a negative effect on anxiety while the effect of perceived social support on access problems could not be ascertained. It was determined that the optimism dimension had a moderating effect on students’ anxiety and the pessimism dimension had a mediating effect. The research results are consistent with the literature.