Oprah Winfrey Dispels Financial Constraints As Reason For Closing Her $40m South Africa Boarding School, Hints On Next Action

Oprah Winfrey

OpenLife News reports that Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, ending one of her most high-profile education initiatives.

The $40 million boarding school, located near Johannesburg, will transfer its campus to the Gauteng provincial education authorities in line with the original agreement signed when the academy was established in 2007.

In a statement, Winfrey said students who have not yet completed their studies will receive full scholarships to continue at other schools.

She added that the academy’s mission will continue through a nationwide scholarship programme.“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” Winfrey said.

“That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”

Since opening nearly 20 years ago, OWLAG has graduated more than 1,000 young women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Winfrey launched the school after meeting former President Nelson Mandela in 2002 with the goal of giving academically gifted girls from poor communities access to quality education.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation said the closure was always part of the long-term plan and dismissed online speculation about financial or administrative problems.

It said resources will now be redirected to fund scholarships at leading schools across South Africa.

The Gauteng Department of Education said it will take over the campus and is “committed to preserving the institution’s legacy.” Plans for the future use of the facility have not yet been announced.