Judo Association Policy; The Sikh Council UK worked closely with the Judo Association and a parent to agree a policy that will allow Sikhs wearing a patka to take part in competitions. Further work would be needed to get wider international acceptance.
19th April 2016: Representatives of the Council met briefly with the David Lelliot (British Consulate based in Chandigargh) during his visit to UK to raise the
13th April 2016: Representatives of the Council attended the Prime Minister Vaisakhi reception at Downing Street
16th April 2016: Following the terrorist Bomb attack on a Gurdwara Sahib in Essen, Germany the Sikh Council spoke to the representatives of the management committee to establish facts and provide support. We also wrote to the German Consulate in London and some German authorities expressing grave concern over the safety of the Sikhs
29 April 2016 Panjabi A Level and GCSE Saved: Sikh Council UK is delighted that a community campaign to secure the future for GCSE and A Level qualifications in Panjabi has been successful and that these qualifications will continue to be available.
In early 2015, exam boards announced their intention to stop offering GCSE’s and A Levels in various languages with Panjabi A Level being stopped from 2017. Following widespread concern and urgent representations by many in the Sikh community concerns were raised about these proposals. Just prior to the 2015 General Election the Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP wrote to the exam boards to convey her concerns about their decisions to stop offering GCSEs and A levels in certain languages.
The campaign for a reversal of the decision by the exam boards has continued unabated and has now resulted in a decision to continue offering these qualifications. The campaign in the Sikh community has been supported by all sections of the community including individual pupils and parents, schools, Gurdwaras, Sikh organisations, Jathebandis and the Sikh media. Secretary General of Sikh Council UK, Gurmel Singh said, “I am delighted this campaign has been a success.
The importance of qualifications in Panjabi language cannot be understated and is a cornerstone in the preservation of our religious and cultural identity.” He added, “I urge parents to support Panjabi teaching both in mainstream and supplementary schools as a way of safeguarding the exams for the future. It is also crucial that we all use Panjabi both in spoken and written form across Gurdwaras, Sikh organisations and particularly in our homes to ensure the language remains live , recognised and valued.”
Chair of the Education Committee of Sikh Council UK, Jaspal Singh said, “Sikh Council UK joined with many others in pursuing this campaign. I would like to thank all those who participated, in particular the A Level Action Group (ALAG) and its key members (Gurjit Singh Gill, Dr J S Nagra, Ranjit Singh Dhanda, Harmeet Singh Bhakna, Nirmal Singh Kandhalvi, Niranjan Singh Dhillon) for all their hard work and role in coordinating this campaign.”
