The state of Virginia has become the 17th state in the United States to include Sikhism, or Sikhi, in its school curriculum. The Virginia State Board of Education voted in favour of the new History and Social Science Standards of Learning, which will for the first time include information about the Sikh faith. Over a million students in Virginia will now have the opportunity to learn about the Sikh community.

The Sikh Coalition, a US-based organisation that has been working to include information about Sikhism, Sikh practices, and traditions in schools since March 2021, expressed its approval of the new standards. The organisation stated that inclusive and accurate standards are important for combating bigotry and reducing bullying, while also increasing cultural competency for all students.

Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition senior education manager, said, “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,” he said.

The Sikh Coalition also pointed out that the new social studies standards come with well-documented flaws and that many communities are still not represented as they should be. The organisation stated that it will continue to fight for not only the Sikh community but for all groups whose histories should be taught accurately. “We continue to fight for not just the Sikh community, but all groups whose histories should be taught accurately,” read a statement released by Sikh Coalition.

Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world. Utah and Mississippi were the 15th and 16th states in the US, respectively, to include information about Sikhism in their social studies syllabi. The Sikh Coalition hopes that more states will follow Virginia's lead in including accurate information about Sikhs in their public school social studies standards.

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