Oprah Winfrey has announced that the girls’ school she founded in South Africa will shut down in 2027 after 20 years of operation.
Following the completion of the 2027 academic year, the school campus will be returned to South Africa’s Gauteng Department of Education, as envisioned in the original partnership agreement for the school, according to Oprah Daily. Current students will still be able to complete the remainder of their schooling with uninterrupted financial support.
While operations will be run by local officials, Winfrey will still continue her support with a new scholarship program, set to begin after OWLAG’s students have graduated. A rep for Winfrey told People the program will “double the amount of girls who will have access to education through this model.”
The rep added, “That is the core of the decision to shift to this new model after seeing the success of the students the past 20 years.”
And for the remaining students, Winfrey’s rep noted that they “will go to other top-tier schools with their tuition paid for in total by Ms. Winfrey through their graduation.”
“I am dazzled and in awe of them,” the 72-year-old said in a video shared by Oprah Daily. “Spanning every area of the workforce, they are businesswomen and lawyers, mothers, doctors, digital content creators, artists, managers, CEOs.”
“The dream that began with one academy will now reach even farther,” she added, “opening doors for even more young women across South Africa through scholarships and educational partnerships.”
And through the new program, Winfrey confirmed that her mission remains the same: “To help young women discover their own power, transform their own lives, and in doing so, transform the future of South Africa.”
“That promise doesn’t end here,” she said. “It just keeps growing.”
