Faith ethos education has subjective elements in it that are elusive to planners and administrators of national and international systems. This paper looks at how Sikhs, a minority group both in India and in other countries to which they have migrated manage to retain their faith-based education programmes successfully and yet relate to the educational systems and practical needs of the society in which they live and work. The countries studied are India, the UK and the USA. Although recognition has been given to faith-based education in community development by international planners, the factors that link spiritual development and culture in education with social development have been neglected in research on education's contribution to socio-economic development. Sikh culture and education offer a case study which illuminates this. (Contains 4 notes.)