Oprah Winfrey has announced that her leadership academy for girls in South Africa will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, nearly 20 years after it was established.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), a boarding school campus near Johannesburg, said in a press release that the school will be handed over to local education authorities in accordance with the original agreement reached when the institution was founded.

The foundation added that students who have not completed their studies before the closure will receive full scholarships to continue their education at other schools.

Winfrey launched the academy in 2007, inspired by a meeting with anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2002.

The school was established to provide quality education for academically gifted girls from disadvantaged communities and has graduated more than 1,000 students since its inception.

The announcement sparked speculation on social media that the academy was shutting down due to mismanagement, but a public relations consultant for OWLAG dismissed the claims.

According to the foundation, Winfrey plans to continue supporting girls’ education through a nationwide scholarship programme that will enable academically talented students from underserved communities to attend leading schools across South Africa.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” said Winfrey, via a press release.

“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 and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago.”

While the future use of the Johannesburg campus remains unclear, the Gauteng provincial education department said it is committed to preserving the institution’s legacy.

“We will ensure that this exceptional institution continues to serve the people of Gauteng while honouring the vision upon which it was established,” the department said.

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