NSO Report from 1st April to 1st October on educat

Author:  Dr Kanwaljit Kaur-Singh

Education

Because of the grant money NSO have been able to discuss and advice many government departments on a range of major issues. With qualification and Curriculum Authority, NSO has taken full part in discussions on Key Stage 3 review of non- statutory guidance on religious education and recommended that there should be stipulation that the schools should teach not only Abrahamanic ( Christianity, Judaism and Islam) religions but should teach Sikhism and other religions.

NSO also expressed the views of the Sikh community that teaching of Sikhism is being marginalized even in schools with a majority of Sikh population. Apart from a handful of schools where NSO has supported, instigated and initiated GCSE in Sikhism with Edexcel Examination Board, in almost all other schools there is little provision for pupils to take any qualifications in Sikh religious studies.

NSO has put forward the case to the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) for changing the admission criteria for Sikh Schools. Guru Nanak Sikh Voluntary Aided Secondary School is very successful and thereby very popular with parents. As in Sikh religion, people attend any gurdwara and are not bound by parishes, therefore it is difficult for parents to provide evidence that they are practicing Sikhs and regularly attend a gurdwara. It is also difficult for the School to ensure that the admission criteria are fair for all pupils. NSO has asked the Department to let the school interview the parents or provide a recent picture of the parents and children to indicate their identity so that the School can ascertain their commitment to the Sikh Religion.

NSO has also had meetings with the Department on the issue of Collective Act of Worship. The Act states, that all the Acts of Collective Worship should be, ‘wholly or mainly of broadly Christian nature’. This is not accepted to Sikhs. In all schools, particularly multi-faith schools, pupils family religious traditions should be taken into account and Act of Collective Worship should draw upon Sikh religion as well.

NSO at the invitation of The Cumberland Lodge and Standards George’s House Windsor Castle attended a three day conference to discuss ‘Religious Education in Multi-faith Society’. The Director’s presentation, his views on ‘faith schools’ and on ‘Daily Acts of Collective Worship in schools’, were very much appreciated. NSO explained that as there are over 7000 church schools, nearly 200 Jewish schools about 8 Muslim schools, 2 Sikh schools ( 1 primary and 1 secondary, with one primary school opening in 2007 in Slough and 1 in 2008 in Southall ). Sikhs have a right to have their schools, if they wish, particularly in the view of little or no effort made by mainstream state schools to pride religious education in Sikhism.

NSO has been heavily involved in supporting the right of a secondary school amritdhari pupil to have the right to wear his kirpan to school. The school on the advice of NSO allowed the student to wear the kirpan, but other teachers, parents and local newspaper and radio stations took offence to it. NSO had busy time informing the public of the right of the student and referred them to the DfES/Home Office guidance: Dealing with trouble makers- Annex F. This asks schools to deals with wearing of kirpans and states that LEA s and Governing Bodies of all schools need to be aware of the Race Relations Act 1976 section 7 that might be alleged to constitute unlawful indirect discrimination. For more details see www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9232

NSO has also requested DfES to send official guidance to all schools asking them not to serve halal meat to Sikh children. The DfES has accepted the NSO’s concern that it is not possible for the community to approach each and every school and the DfES has confirmed that there will be guidance to all schools in the early next year (2007). In a similar situation where in a school two girls are not allowed to wear their karas, NSO has taken up the case and is currently waiting school’s response. While pending decision, the girls are allowed to wear their karas in school.

NSO with support from the British Sikh education Council negotiated full GCSE course with Edexcel Examination Board. NSO has worked tirelessly to promote the course so that our Sikh youngsters will be able to learn something about Sikhism. The examination is in English and has an equivalent value to GCSE obtained in any other subject. NSO is proud to say that in only 2 years more than 600 students took exams ( June 2006 )and passed with mostly A and A* results. NSO is grateful to those teachers and gurdwara committees who took this step of starting additional classes in Sikhism. For further information on how to start classes or training for the course, please phone NSO number or email: sikhmessenger@aol.com

NSO supported DfES to organize a conference in January 2006, ‘Sikhism in Schools’. Sikh teachers from all over the country were invited to discuss the current position of teaching of Sikhism in religious education in schools. NSO put its view very strongly and highlighted the need to improve resources, teaching skills and more time given to the teaching of Sikhism. Meetings are organized to follow the issues highlighted in the conference.

NSO is represented in organizations involved in religious education such as RE Council and Shap. Founder member of Women’s Inter-faith Group and started the first sub-group. NSO is consistently asked to read and revise educational material such as journals, books, videos and photographs to ensure accuracy, and has received much appreciation by the producers. NSO support was given to many charities such as the Autistic Society, Foundation for People’s rights- Learning Difficulties,

NSO has liaised with many organizations to train and to spread the message that Sikhs though minority are fully integrated members of the society and have rights to best advise. NSO trained ACAS trainers on Sikhism to make them aware of the needs of Sikhs at the work place.

NSO also meets with Citizen’s Advice Bureaus (CAB) regularly to ensure that the staff is trained to support Sikhs and gave information to 7 Bureaus to liaise with the Sikh community in different geographic areas of England. NSO attends meeting of the Religion and Belief Group to ensure that there is a Sikh input in the new Religion and Belief strand of the Equality legislation of 2003.

NSO Director has been repeatedly asked by many organizations to give annual and other lectures celebrating their big milestone. Many lectures such as on first interfaith lecture in the ‘Hitchin Festival’, Annual Stafford SACRE lecture, Kingston Interfaith, Churches Together Interfaith lecture in Selsdon.

NSO wrote guidance for the City of London Police, ‘Sikhs and Sikhism in Britain- A Guide for Non-Sikhs’ and trained trainers on equality in Religion and Belief for Sikhs. Guidance can be found under publications. The City of London Police invited NSO to give training during their two day conference on ‘Diversity’. NSO was also invited by the Metropolitan police to give them guidance on Faith Focused Hate Crime Strategy. The contributions were well received. Key Personnel at Scotland Yard received training on Sikhism from NSO Director.

NSO also attended meetings with several other government and non-government bodies such as The London Development Agency to talk about the need of Sikhs during Olympics. Further meetings are being organized to ensure that Sikhs because of their 5 Ks are not discriminated against.