Oprah Winfrey Ends Girls’ Academy, Launches Scholarship Program.
Oprah Winfrey is beginning a new phase of her life. Twenty years after starting the boarding school for girls in grades eight through twelve in 2007, the former daytime show said that she will be closing her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa in 2027.
As per Oprah Daily, the school's original collaboration agreement called for the campus to be handed back to South Africa's Gauteng Department of Education after the 2027 academic year ended. Current students will still be able to finish their education with continuous financial support.
Even though local authorities will oversee operations, Winfrey will continue to provide support through a new scholarship program that will launch upon the graduation of OWLAG's students. The initiative will "double the amount of girls who will have access to education through this model," a Winfrey representative informed People.
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The rep went on to say, “That is the core of the decision to shift to this new model after seeing the success of the students the past 20 years.”
Additionally, Winfrey's representative mentioned that the rest of the students “will go to other top-tier schools with their tuition paid for in total by Ms. Winfrey through their graduation.”
Regarding Winfrey, she first had the idea to start OWLAG in 2002 while speaking with Nelson Mandela. It has therefore been immensely satisfying for her to see the pupils from the school go on to have prosperous careers.
“I am dazzled and in awe of them,” the 72-year-old remarked in a video released by Oprah Daily. “Spanning every area of the workforce, they are businesswomen and lawyers, mothers, doctors, digital content creators, artists, managers, CEOs.”
“The dream that began with one academy will now reach even farther,” she continued, “opening doors for even more young women across South Africa through scholarships and educational partnerships.”
Additionally, Winfrey affirmed that her mission is unchanged through the new program: “To help young women discover their own power, transform their own lives, and in doing so, transform the future of South Africa.”
“That promise doesn't end here,” she added. “It just keeps growing.”
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