1. The Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP)
Amitabha Mukherjee
Centre for Science Education and Communication
University of Delhi
Presentation at South Asia Regional Conference on Education Quality
New Delhi
October 24-26, 2007

2. Contents Background Key features of HSTP Classroom practices
Teacher Training
Textbook and kit
Examinations
Lessons learnt

3. Background
The Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP) started as a pilot project in 1972 in 16 schools in Hoshangabad district of the state of Madhya Pradesh (M.P.)
Addressed the question “Can science be taught better in an ordinary school?”

4. Background (contd.)
Started by two voluntary agencies – Kishore Bharati and Friends’ Rural Centre
Confined to the teaching of science in middle school – grades 6-8
Partnership of University and College faculty with schoolteachers
“Nothing the programme could do could possibly make things worse than they were”

5. “Nothing could be worse…”
Government schools - poor buildings, no library, no laboratory , no facilities
No experiments in science classes
Science taught as received knowledge
Authoritarian school teacher, often untrained in science
Docile children, no rewards for initiative, no questions in class – to maintain discipline

6. Brief Chronology Pilot project in 16 schools from 1972
Extended to all middle schools in the district in 1978
EKLAVYA set up in 1982
Expanded to clusters in 14 other districts in mid 1980s – ~1000 schools
Closed down by M.P. Govt in 2002
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7. Key features of HSTP Classroom processes based on experimentation
Teacher Training – intensive and continuing
Textbook and kit
Examination system
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8. Classroom practices Children did experiments in groups of 4
Recorded their own observations
Reported their findings to the whole class
Data from different groups pooled together to provide robust evidence
Conclusions arrived at after whole class discussions guided by teachers
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9. Teacher Training 3-week training programmes every year for 3 years
Hands-on, textbook-based training
Every teacher trained to do every experiment and guide discussion in the classroom

10. Teacher Training (contd.)
Monthly meetings
School follow-up by trained resource teachers to handle problems in implementation
Manuals
Periodicals
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11. Textbook and kit
Textbook ‘Bal Vaigyanik’ (‘Child Scientist’) actually a book of instructions for experiments – no information content
Low-cost and locally available materials used as far as possible
Minimal kit supplied to all schools in adequate numbers

12. Examinations
No reform possible without reform of the examination system
Open-book, unlimited time exams, both annual and final middle school (grade 8)
Each student examined in theory as well as in experiment
Tests of conceptual clarity, logical ability, process skills – not rote learning
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13. Lessons learnt from HSTP
No programme of innovation can succeed unless teachers are convinced of the need for such change and work actively to bring it about
School teachers are almost completely isolated intellectually and it is important to work to break this down

14. Lessons learnt from HSTP - II
Some structural features can work across programmes – monthly meetings, cluster resource centres, …
Control over examinations is essential for any programme of innovation to succeed

15. Lessons learnt from HSTP - III
Innovations in curriculum/pedagogy may face a roadblock of school system functionality
Involvement of the community in programmes of educational reform is not only desirable, but may be crucial
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16. Thank you