Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan girls’ education advocate and co-founder of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), has been named to TIME magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people of 2026.
TIME magazine said on Wednesday, September 30, that Basij-Rasikh was included in the “TIME100 Next 2026” list for her efforts to defend Afghan girls’ right to education.
The magazine added that the School of Leadership, Afghanistan initially operated as a girls’ boarding school in Kabul but now operates outside Afghanistan.
According to TIME, the school and its online education program now reach more than 43,000 students and work to educate the next generation of teachers, doctors, and leaders in Afghanistan.
Following her inclusion on the list, Basij-Rasikh said the honor was not hers alone, but also belonged to the women of Afghanistan, the students of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan, and those who support them.
She said there is still much work to be done and that these efforts will continue.
