US media personality Oprah Winfrey has announced that the leadership academy for girls she founded in South Africa nearly two decades ago will close at the end of the 2027 academic year.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), located near Johannesburg, will hand over its campus to local education authorities in line with the original agreement reached when the school was established.
Students who will not have completed their studies before the closure will receive full scholarships to continue their education at other schools.
Since opening in 2007, the academy has graduated more than 1,000 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school was inspired by Winfrey’s meeting with South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, in 2002.
Built at a reported cost of $40 million, the boarding school was created to provide quality education and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from underprivileged communities.
Announcing the decision, Winfrey said the mission had always been bigger than a single school.
“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,” she said.
The 72-year-old added that the next phase of the initiative would focus on providing scholarships to talented girls across South Africa, allowing the foundation to reach even more students.
Following the announcement, speculation emerged online that the school was shutting down because of management issues. However, a public relations consultant for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation dismissed the claims, insisting the closure was part of the project’s long-term plan.
The Gauteng Department of Education said it remains committed to preserving the academy’s legacy after taking over the campus.
“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.
The academy attracted criticism when it opened because of its luxurious facilities, which reportedly included two theatres, a yoga studio and a beauty salon. Some critics argued the funds could have been used to support a larger number of students across the country.
Months after its launch, the school was also rocked by allegations of abuse involving a former staff member, who was later cleared of all charges.
There are currently 281 students enrolled at the academy.
According to Oprah Daily, many former students have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, business executives, entrepreneurs and artists.
One of the graduates, Andronica Klaas, who now works as a senior engineering lead at Meta, said the school transformed her outlook on life.
“Every corner of the campus was filled with so much love and care and detail. OWLAG convinced me that preparation, character and purpose mattered more than where I came from,” she said.
