Oprah Winfrey has announced that her leadership academy for girls in South Africa will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, nearly 20 years after it was established.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), a
boarding school campus near Johannesburg, said in a press release that the
school will be handed over to local education authorities in accordance with
the original agreement reached when the institution was founded.
The foundation added that students who have not completed
their studies before the closure will receive full scholarships to continue
their education at other schools.
Winfrey launched the academy in 2007, inspired by a meeting
with anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela in
2002.
The school was established to provide quality education for
academically gifted girls from disadvantaged communities and has graduated more
than 1,000 students since its inception.
The announcement sparked speculation on social media that
the academy was shutting down due to mismanagement, but a public relations
consultant for OWLAG dismissed the claims.
According to the foundation, Winfrey plans to continue
supporting girls’ education through a nationwide scholarship programme that
will enable academically talented students from underserved communities to
attend leading schools across South Africa.
“The dream was never simply to build a school,” said
Winfrey, via a press release.
“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.”
While the future use of the Johannesburg campus remains
unclear, the Gauteng provincial education department said it is committed to
preserving the institution’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,” the department said.
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