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Texas board pressed to add Vaisakhi, Diwali to curriculum
The demand was put forth by Sikh Coalition fellow Tarnoor Kaur, who argued that lack of understanding leads to bullying
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 09, Apr 2026
- 05:09 EDT
- 20
Tarnoor Kaur / Tarnoor Kaur via LinkedIn
Sikh Coalition Texas Education fellow Tarnoor Kaur appealed to the Texas State Board of Education to incorporate religious observances like Vaisakhi and Diwali in its social studies curriculum.
The community organization had previously registered its protests with the Texas State Board over the exclusion of Sikhism in the "key topics draft," even though other religions and belief systems were referenced.
In its previous update, the draft included sections on how Hinduism and Buddhism shaped societies in ancient India but failed to mention Sikhism at any point. Kaur had testified to the board on Jan. 28 and expressed concern over the exclusion, after which Sikhism was added to the curriculum.
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However, the organization expressed concern over the noninclusion of religious observances like Vaisakhi, Diwali, Easter, Hanukkah and others.
Kaur, in her address, argued that these observances are not peripheral practices and are key to understanding the religion. She expressed concern over "the removal of Section 113.18, which previously included cultural and religious observances."
Kaur claimed that close to 78% of Sikh students experience bullying, often driven by a "lack of awareness or understanding of their identity."
She continued, "The State Board of Education has a duty to serve students of all backgrounds by taking a thoughtful, not rushed approach to developing TEKS that are fair and balanced, recognizing that these standards will have a lasting impact on students' learning and classroom experiences."
Kaur, who won the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers last year, is a student at the University of Texas and studied in Texas public schools.
She highlighted her experience as a student and said, "Growing up as a Sikh, my faith was always met with biases due to many of my peers and teachers not being educated on my background. It made me feel like my identity was being put on a back burner, and I often felt misunderstood."
Kaur added that her experience was not unique and that this lack of understanding is leading to many students being bullied in schools, pointing out that teaching about the religious observances would help bridge this gap.
Recently, the Iowa Board of Education also incorporated Sikhism into its school curriculum through the recently published Iowa Academic Standards for Social Studies, becoming the 21st state to adopt lessons on Sikhism into its standards.
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