Oprah Closes South African Academy to Expand Scholarship Reach

​After nearly two decades of shaping the lives of hundreds of young women, media icon Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will conclude its residential operations at the close of the 2027 academic year.

​Established in 2007 following a discussion between Winfrey and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, the $40 million boarding school located in Henley on Klip, Gauteng Province, has served as a beacon of academic excellence. Over its operational lifetime, the institution has graduated more than 1,000 students from disadvantaged backgrounds, sending alumnae into prominent roles as doctors, lawyers, business executives, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

​In alignment with the original partnership agreement drafted at the school’s inception, the physical campus will be handed back to South Africa’s Gauteng Department of Education once the 2027 term concludes, allowing local authorities to maintain the grounds as an educational facility. Provincial education officials have praised the academy’s generational legacy of leadership and hope.

​Rather than stepping away from philanthropy in the region, Winfrey is pivoting toward a nationwide scholarship model. Representatives for the media mogul note that the upcoming framework will effectively double the volume of young South African women granted access to premier educational opportunities.

​”The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey shared 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.”

​Current students enrolled at the academy will experience no disruption to their studies. Representatives confirmed that remaining pupils will complete their education either on-site or at other top-tier institutions, with all tuition and related expenses completely covered by Winfrey through their respective graduations.

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​Reflecting on the milestone 20-year journey and the network of successful graduates spanning multiple industries, Winfrey expressed deep admiration for the community she helped foster.

​”The dream that began with one academy will now reach even farther,” she noted, “opening doors for even more young women across South Africa through scholarships and educational partnerships.”