By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US talk-show host Oprah Winfrey says her school for girls launched in South Africa nearly 20 years ago, will close next year and handed over to local education authorities at the end of the 2027 academic year, in line with the original agreement, her statement says.
Students enrolled at the expansive boarding school campus, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) who will not have graduated when it closes will be offered full scholarships elsewhere.
More than 1,000 girls have graduated from the school near Johannesburg, aimed at those from under-privileged backgrounds and inspired after Winfrey met anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2002.
Since opening its doors, the elite school, built at a cost of $40m (£20m) and located in the village of Henley-on-Klip south of Johannesburg has not been without scandal, sparking rumours about the reason for its closure.
A PR consultant working for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation however denied online speculation it was closing because of mismanagement
The foundation said Winfrey intended to continue with her education project by investing 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.
