Afghan Girls Find a New Path to Education in Rwanda
The School of Leadership, Afghanistan, founded by Shabana Basij-Rasikh, has opened a permanent campus in Rwanda for 122 Afghan girls who were forced to leave Afghanistan or barred from secondary education.
Its SOLAx online platform also provides Afghan-curriculum lessons to about 41,000 students through smartphones and WhatsApp, extending access while protecting students’ privacy and safety.
A new permanent school in Rwanda is giving Afghan girls an opportunity to continue their education after being forced to leave Afghanistan or denied access to secondary schooling.
The School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), founded by Shabana Basij-Rasikh, has established a permanent campus in Rwanda. The school currently has 122 Afghan students and provides them with a safe environment to continue their studies.
The school’s expansion comes as millions of Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education. A recent United Nations report estimates that about 2.4 million Afghan girls are unable to attend secondary school.
SOLA is also reaching students beyond its physical campus through SOLAx, an online education platform designed for Afghan girls. The program offers lessons based on the Afghan curriculum through smartphones and WhatsApp, making education more accessible to students with limited internet access.
According to AP, SOLAx now has about 41,000 students, most of them in Afghanistan, with others living in dozens of countries around the world. The platform allows students to study at their own pace and includes features designed to protect their privacy and safety.
For SOLA’s students and educators, the Rwanda campus represents more than a new school. It reflects their determination to continue learning despite difficult circumstances. The school’s leadership says its long-term goal is to prepare Afghan girls to become future leaders and contribute to Afghanistan’s development.
