Oprah Winfrey to close her South African school for girls, expanding scholarship program

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa will cease operations as a residential school at the end of the 2027 academic year. This strategic shift will see the academy's campus, located in Henley on Klip, returned to the Gauteng Department of Education, in accordance with the original partnership agreement established when the school opened in 2007.

Winfrey's decision is aimed at expanding her philanthropic efforts through a nationwide scholarship program, which is anticipated to support a greater number of academically gifted young women across South Africa—potentially double the amount served by the single campus model. She emphasized that the core mission has always been to invest in the potential of young women, and this new approach will allow her to reach even more students.

Current students who will not have completed their education by the end of 2027 are guaranteed to receive full scholarships, enabling them to continue their studies at other leading institutions. Since its inception, OWLAG has graduated over 1,000 students, with a significant majority advancing to higher education.