Business Repositioning at Botswana Open University in the Face of COVID-19

Abstract:The COVID-19 Contagion, since it became a pandemic, has left deleterious footprints on different parts of the globe. In Botswana, as the government and institutions grapple with ways to adapt and be resilient to the effects of the scourge, some positive and significant achievements have been realised. The Botswana Open University, even before this was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, proactively put in place a task team to, among other calls, advise management on ways to effectively deal with the effects of the pandemic and ensure smooth business continuity. This chapter discusses the coordinated response mix that the BOU Management takes in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The response has passed through a spectrum from the creation of a dedicated Task Team to be part of the response strategy, controlled working from home, to making enhanced online application of ICT and other Technology Enabled Teaching and Learning. The work also presents the continuous adaptations that the University makes, to provide it with the resilience that is necessary for its business continuity. At the end, the project briefly highlights how the educational landscape in Botswana changes with the prevalence of COVID-19 and opportunities that emanate from that for Botswana Open University.