UNDERSTANDING THE HSTP CURRICULUM AND SYLLABUS
In this chapter we shall examine the theoretical aspects of the HSTP curriculum and syllabus. To begin with, it would be wrong to assume that the innovation was launched with any clear-cut understanding of pedagogy and educational theory. Rather, as the work in the schools progressed and the understanding of teaching-learning processes grew, the theory underpinning the HSTP gradually emerged, gaining shape and substance. The entrenched belief was that theory emerges from practice so it was clear from the outset that understanding would evolve and develop. So it is fruitless to try and understand the HSTP and its underlying theory by pigeonholing it in any existing school of pedagogical thought.
One thing was clear from the beginning: ‘information’ could not be the foundation on which to develop the curriculum, given the ‘knowledge explosion’ we are witnessing in modern times. It was obvious that is impossible to incorporate this exponentially growing body of information into a curriculum. There was another serious limitation. Even if a curriculum managed to cover all the existing information at a given point in time, the children would find the information dated and probably even irrelevant 10 years down the line. That’s why the emphasis was on self learning. But the group knew this would be a slow and painstaking process because the child would be a participant in the journey..... Read More... [PDF 613 KB]