Oprah Winfrey to close down her school in South Africa after 20 years

Oprah Winfrey is closing her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, an institution she founded nearly two decades ago, at the conclusion of the 2027 academic year.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), situated near Johannesburg, will hand over its campus to the Gauteng provincial education authorities. This transition aligns with the initial agreement established when the school was founded. Students who have not completed their education by the closure date will receive full scholarships to continue their studies elsewhere.

Since its inception in 2007, the academy has empowered over 1,000 young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Winfrey established the $40 million boarding school after meeting Nelson Mandela in 2002, aiming to provide quality education to academically gifted girls from underprivileged communities.

Winfrey emphasized that the academy's core mission will persist through a nationwide scholarship program. "The dream was never simply to build a school," she stated. "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."

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation has refuted online speculation linking the closure to financial or administrative issues, asserting that the transition was always part of the long-term plan. Resources will be redirected to fund scholarships for talented girls at leading schools across South Africa. The Gauteng Department of Education has pledged to uphold the institution's legacy.

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The dream was never simply to build a school. 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.