LEADERSHIP AND THE RISK MANAGEMENT CONUNDRUM IN BOTSWANA’S PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

The 21st century school leadership is increasingly challenged by the complex, inherent and
residual nature of risks. This paper problematizes school leadership around risk and risk
management stewardship. The purpose of the study was to examine school leadership
perception of risk, current approaches to risk management, extent of vulnerability to risk, risk
response techniques, risk-awareness culture and organisational risk maturity levels. A risk
and vulnerability audit for 12 junior secondary school heads in Palapye and a national survey
of 34 senior secondary school heads were conducted. Thematic analysis was applied to
examine themes and emerging perspectives. From the results, school leadership demonstrated
risk vulnerability, lack of a holistic approach, lack of a risk-awareness culture coupled with a
risk naïve to risk novice maturity levels. This is in spite of the attempts made so far by the
Ministry of Basic Education to manage risks. The paper concludes that, not only is the
disposition to overly focus on certain risks too simplistic an abstraction but it is also deficient
since it downplays the holistic approach to risk management. Unless checked, this oversight
is bound to occasion an irreparable risk trap for the school leadership. The paper recommends
a policy that makes provision for a holistic approach to risk management. Such a shift in
thinking is envisioned to transform the school leadership and the basic education sector from
risk vulnerability to risk resilience. Leadership thereof need to, as a first line of defence,
espouse an organisational culture and philosophy which says, “Everybody is a risk manager”
(Hopkin, 2012).