The program is indeed ``learner centred'' in the sense that the learner is an active participant and only if he or she acts and absorbs what is being presented does the program succeed. This is unlike the usual process where it is the dictated program that is absolute, against which the student passes or fails.
But the implementation of the program is pivoted on the teacher. Much as we ensure the accessibility of the material and the activities to the student, the classroom can be dismal without the leadership role of the teacher as a coach. Thus in this program considerable autonomy is also vested in the teacher. One of the ways this is done is to seek teachers feedback as to success of the instructional material. Active ``feedback'' is sought from teachers for improving the presentation, content and experiments in the curriculum. One stage this is done is indeed in the monthly meetings spoken of above. A registry is kept of these transactions, and revisions incorporated in the text-books based on the same.
In addition, annual workshops for revision of the material are held with participation from resource persons of college, university and research level backgrounds. The teacher gets maximum attention here because he has the actual observations relating to the functioning of the program. (This is in the spirit of the scientific values we are imparting through the curriculum itself. Field work is more important than theorising!) The teacher representatives in turn are reflecting the inputs of several of their colleagues. Thus a successful implementation of the program also envisages periodic revision with active inputs from teachers themselves. This has to be contrasted with the current practice of most school boards wherein a special group of ``experts'' and a few established teachers write the book which must then be obeyed to the letter by every teacher. Teacher participation of the type implemented here builds greater sense of identification with the course and greater responsibility while implementing it in the classroom.
A final most vital part of the whole package of HSTP is the exam system. An examination that is compatible with the overall philosophy of the course has to be designed. In a generous allowance to this particular educational intervention, the M.P. government granted a special permission to hold a parallel exam for HSTP for the class VIII school board which exists in M.P.. It would be a farce to train students to be explorative and inquisitive and then burden them with the usual rote exam. It is matter of historical record that M.P. government was the only one with sufficient faith in our own trained scientists (most of the core group belonged to Delhi University faculty or research scholars) to permit them the parallel exam. This exam is open book. Its questions are largely multiple choice. In many of these, practical situations are shown in sketches and students must respond based on their experiments.
It is important enough to bear repeating in a separate paragraph : the ``discovery method'' curriculum must have a compatible examination of its own.