South Africa’s young people are facing an escalating mental health crisis. In 2022, more than 13% of our youth between the ages of 10 and 19 were living with a diagnosed mental disorder, with anxiety and depression accounting for nearly half of these cases, and suicide claiming more than 46,000 young lives. Meanwhile, a 2023 report shows that 60% of South African youth said they needed mental health support but only two-thirds sought help. Of those who did not, most said it was because they simply did not know where to turn.
This gap between need and knowledge is the reason for the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day: Access to Services. For schools, this theme is particularly relevant. If children do not know where else to seek help, then schools must become places where support is visible, accessible, and trusted.
“Schools are a microcosm of society,” says Elzanné Hlekani, Director of Campus Wellness at Centennial Schools. “They are where our children learn, experiment, succeed, and fail. When we recognise and support their mental health journeys, we give them the foundation to excel not only in school, but also in life.”
The drivers of mental health illnesses among young people are complex. Uncertainties at home, the lingering effects of the pandemic, relentless academic expectations, and unrealistic standards posted on social media all play a role. For many students, these factors translate into anxiety, self-doubt and low self-esteem, and, left unaddressed, these struggles have far-reaching consequences – often leading to disengagement, declining grades and strained relationships, and becoming a cycle that is very difficult to break.
For Hlekani, this is why the role that schools play in providing access to mental health support is non-negotiable. “Access means awareness and safety. It is not just about helping students already in crisis,” she says. “It is about ensuring they have someone to guide them before challenges escalate.”
At Centennial Schools, access takes multiple forms. The school collaborates with mental health professionals, equips teachers to spot warning signs, and the school has partnered with the developers of the It’sOk App, which enables students to flag concerns, navigate the challenges of school and life successfully and connect with support quickly and discreetly. This proactive approach helps the school respond quickly to trends and individual needs.
Hlekani says that supporting student mental health is not separate from academic success: “You cannot expect strong academic outcomes if a student is struggling mentally. Concentration, problem-solving, and motivation are all affected by mental health. Schools can and should play a role in helping students develop resilience, emotional regulation, decision-making, and social skills.”
While South Africa’s Department of Basic Education requires all schools to have School-Based Support Teams, implementation remains uneven, particularly in under-resourced communities. Cultural stigma around mental health, and a lack of access to facilities for diagnosis and treatment, further limit many young people from getting the help they need.
“This is why it falls on schools, and on educators themselves, to take ownership of student mental wellness. It is not an add-on. It is central to the education we provide,” ends Hlekani.
