JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - US talk-show host Oprah Winfrey says the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, nearly 20 years after the school opened.
The boarding school, located in Henley-on-Klip south of Johannesburg, will be handed over to local education authorities at the end of the 2027 academic year in line with the original agreement, according to a statement from the foundation.
Students who are still enrolled when the school closes and have not yet graduated will be offered full scholarships to continue their education elsewhere.
Winfrey established the academy after being inspired by her meeting with former South African President and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in 2002. The school opened its doors in 2007 and was established to provide education and leadership opportunities for academically talented girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The facility was built at a reported cost of approximately US$40 million and has developed into a high-profile educational institution in South Africa.
The announcement has prompted speculation online about the reasons for the closure, including claims of mismanagement. However, a public relations consultant working with the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation has denied that the school is closing because of mismanagement.
The foundation said Winfrey intends to continue her education initiative through an expanded scholarship programme for academically talented girls from communities across South Africa.
"The dream was never simply to build a school," Winfrey said in a statement. "It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn't end with one campus."
She added that the next phase of the initiative would allow the foundation to reach more young women across South Africa while continuing the educational mission that began nearly two decades ago.
The academy's transition comes as OWLAG continues its 2027 admissions and academic activities before the planned handover at the end of the 2027 academic year.