Since the US State approved new social studies standards on Thursday, which will include Sikhi, or the Sikh religion, in the school curriculum for the first time ever, more than a million pupils in Virginia may now study Sikhism.
The revised History and Social Science Standards of Learning were approved by the Virginia State Board of Education.
According to the Sikh Coalition, the new requirements will provide more than a million kids in Virginia the chance to learn about the Sikh community.
According to a release, Virginia is now the 17th US state to collaborate with the Sikh Coalition to offer factual information on Sikhs in its public-school social studies curriculum.
The social studies curricula of Utah and Mississippi were the 15th and 16th in the US to contain knowledge on Sikhism, Sikh rituals, and Sikh traditions.
“This change will help to ensure that Sikhi can be taught in classrooms across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Harman Singh, senior education manager for the Sikh Coalition, “after more than two years of engagement alongside the local’sangat’.”
“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,” he said.
The Sikh Coalition said that many groups are not adequately represented in the new social studies standards, which have major and well-documented problems.
The statement said, “We continue to struggle not only for the Sikh community, but for all communities whose history should be taught authentically.
Sikhism is one of the most popular faiths in the world, and for more than 125 years, its adherents have made significant contributions to American society in the areas of civil rights, politics, agriculture, engineering, and medicine.
