The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted teaching-learning activities in South Africa and across the globe. It has changed lives, mindsets and the way communities and societies interact, study and go about their daily business.

The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources, SADiLaR, on the campus of the North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom, has a new centre director. Prof Langa Khumalo will take the reins from 1 August. SADiLar is a research infrastructure funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap.

With no vaccine in sight for Covid-19, a number of countries are under a lot of economic pressure, trying to lessen the impact of the pandemic. Over the last few months South African businesses and citizens have come together to assist the less fortunate, with food, medical supplies, clothes and toiletries.

It is a fact that many children find themselves in barren school classes and playgrounds because their parents, educators and caregivers are often unaware of the importance of providing opportunities for purposeful play in the early years.

The quality subject offerings in the fields of atmospheric science, clinical medicine, education, hospitality and tourism management, and public health at the North-West University (NWU) have elevated the university in global rankings. It is also a great achievement for the NWU to be ranked first in the region for mathematics.

While many people cringe at the thought of consuming bugs, entomophagy – the term for eating insects – has been practised for hundreds of years in South Africa.

The North-West University (NWU) is not allowing the Covid-19 pandemic to interfere with its commitment to dealing with student accommodation. Work on residences with hundreds of beds is under way.

“The welcome special loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help South Africa deal with the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 goes wider than just helping to balance the budget.”

Our oceans are choking on plastic debris. In fact, marine plastic debris is one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing the world today, with devastating effects for both humans and the environment.

Due to the devastating effects of the global Covid-19 outbreak, uncertainty, worry, fear and anxiety have become the order of the day for many families – particularly for those with learners in schools, says North-West University (NWU) Humanities professor, Erhabor Idemudia.