Washington D.C. Includes Sikhism in Social Studies Standards

The newly adopted social studies standards will be implemented in local schools starting from the 2024-2025 academic year. The District of Columbia State Board of Education recently made a decision to incorporate Sikhism into the new social studies curriculum in schools. With this development, Washington, D.C. becomes one of the 17 states that have incorporated accurate information about Sikhs into their social studies standards for public schools.

The decision is part of the Sikh Coalition’s multi-year campaign, which aims to provide accurate information on Sikhism to public school students across the United States. According to a release, approximately 49,800 students in the state will now have the

The new standards, voted on by the District of Columbia State Board of Education on June 21, will give approximately 49,800 students the opportunity to learn about the Sikh community. The new standards will be implemented in local schools starting from the 2024-2025 academic year. The Sikh Coalition, which worked with local education authorities on this issue, said the District of Columbia joins 17 states across the nation to include accurate information about Sikhs in their public school social studies standards. “We are thrilled that the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education has chosen to ensure that the Sikh community is represented and included in their standards,” said Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition senior education manager.

“Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing baseline cultural competency and decreasing ignorance,” Singh said. Earlier in April, the US State of Virginia voted in favour of new social studies standards to include Sikhi, or the Sikh faith, in the school curriculum for the first time ever. Sikhism is one of the largest religions in the world and the members of the community have contributed to American society for over 125 years in the fields of civil rights, politics, agriculture, engineering, and medicine.