US talk‑show host Oprah Winfrey has announced that the school for girls she established in South Africa nearly two decades ago will close next year. According to her statement, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will cease operations at the end of the 2027 academic year, with its campus near Johannesburg handed over to local education authorities in line with the original agreement.
Students who have not graduated by the time of closure will be offered full scholarships to continue their studies elsewhere. Since its opening in 2007, more than 1,000 girls from underprivileged backgrounds have graduated from the $40 million (£20 million) boarding school, which was inspired by Winfrey’s 2002 meeting with former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Located in Henley‑on‑Klip, south of Johannesburg, the elite institution has faced occasional controversy, fueling speculation about the reasons for its closure. However, a spokesperson for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation dismissed online claims of mismanagement, stressing that the decision aligns with the school’s founding arrangements.
The foundation said Winfrey intended to continue with her education project by funding in a scholarship programme for academically talented girls from communities across the country to go to leading schools. “The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey, 72, explained in a statement.
“It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education. “I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago.”
It is not known what the OWLAG campus will be used for once it is returned to the local authorities, but Gauteng province’s education department says it is “committed to preserving and advancing the academy’s legacy”. “We will ensure that this exceptional institution continues to serve the people of Gauteng while honouring the vision upon which it was established,” it said.
When the school opened in 2007, some commentators criticised its lavish campus – it reportedly had two theatres, a yoga studio and a beauty salon. They questioned whether the money spent on it could have been better used to help more students around the country.
Then months after OWLAG opened, some students accused a former staff member of abuse. She was later cleared on all charges. There are currently 281 students enrolled at the school. According to the US star’s Oprah Daily website, many of the school’s graduates have become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, executives and entrepreneurs.
It quotes Andronica Klaas, a graduate of 2012 and now a senior engineering lead at tech giant Meta, as saying: “Every corner of the campus was filled with so much love and care and detail. “OWLAG convinced me that preparation, character and purpose mattered more than where I came from.”
Source: BBC
