Oprah Winfrey announces closure of her SA school for girls

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s investment in education in South Africa is shifting towards a scholarship programme to support girls accepted into leading schools throughout the country. This comes as she announces the Henley-on-Klip school will be handed over to the government to administer. Since opening its doors in 2007, more than 1,000 pupils were admitted to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (Owlag), the institution said in a statement. The closure of the campus as the centre of the Winfrey programme takes effect after the completion of the 2027 academic year. The handover of the property to the Gauteng department of education is in accordance with the original partnership agreement, according to Owlag. The academy said every student currently enrolled with them will complete her educational journey with uninterrupted academic, financial and personal support. Throughout the transition, the academy said it will continue its commitment to the holistic development of every student and to its growing network of alumnae through mentorship, leadership development and higher education support. After 20 years, Winfrey said Owlag’s vision of demonstrating what could be achieved when academically gifted girls were given every resource needed to succeed had been realised. “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. I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa.” A study commissioned in 2024 found that 99 percent of surveyed Owlag graduates went on to higher education. They are working in diverse fields as doctors, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and business leaders.