New York, April 21: After Utah and Mississippi, Virginia became the 17th state in the US to include Sikhi, or the Sikh faith, in their school curriculum. The Virginia State Board of Education on Thursday voted in favour of new History and Social Science Standards of Learning, which for the first time ever includes Sikhism.
According to Harman Singh, Senior Education Manager, Sikh Coalition, “After more than two years of engagement alongside the local sangat, this change will help to ensure that Sikhi can be taught in classrooms across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing cultural competency“.
Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world and the community has contributed to American society for over 125 years in the fields of civil rights, politics, agriculture, engineering, and medicine.