The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa will close at the end of 2027, with its operations transferred to the provincial government as Oprah Winfrey shifts her focus to expanding scholarship opportunities for girls across the country.
The academy, which opened in 2007 near Johannesburg, will graduate its final two classes before the transition. Remaining students will complete their education at other leading schools, with their tuition fully funded by Winfrey until graduation. The provincial government will then assume responsibility for operating the campus as a public school.
Announcing the decision in a statement on Wednesday, Winfrey said the initiative had always been about investing in the potential of young women rather than maintaining a single institution.
“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” she said, adding that the next phase would allow the programme to support even more girls across South Africa through an expanded scholarship model.
According to a representative for Winfrey, the scholarship programme will begin after the academy’s current students graduate.
The new approach is expected to double the number of girls who can access quality education compared with the existing model.
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The decision follows nearly two decades of the academy’s operation. Since opening in 2007, the school has graduated more than 1,000 students, many from disadvantaged communities across South Africa.
A study cited by the academy found that almost all surveyed graduates went on to higher education and said their education had significantly improved opportunities for themselves and their families.
The academy faced controversy shortly after its launch when allegations of abuse were made against a former staff member.
The individual was later acquitted, and the school continued its mission of providing education and leadership development for academically gifted girls from underprivileged backgrounds.
Winfrey, who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in establishing and supporting the institution, has previously described the academy as her greatest legacy.
The transition marks a strategic shift from operating a single campus to funding educational opportunities for a larger number of girls nationwide.
PEOPLE
