Oprah Winfrey has announced that the leadership academy for girls she founded in South Africa nearly two decades ago will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, bringing an end to one of her most ambitious education initiatives.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), located near Johannesburg, will hand over its campus to the Gauteng provincial education authorities in line with the original agreement reached when the school was established.

The media mogul said students who will not have completed their education before the closure will receive full scholarships to continue their studies at other schools.

Since opening its doors in 2007, the academy has graduated more than 1,000 young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Winfrey launched the $40 million boarding school after meeting South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero and former President Nelson Mandela in 2002, with the goal of providing quality education to academically gifted girls from underprivileged communities.

Addressing the decision to close the campus, Winfrey said the mission of the academy would continue through a nationwide scholarship programme.

“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. 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.”

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation dismissed speculation circulating online that the closure was linked to financial or administrative problems, insisting the transition had always been part of the long-term plan. Instead, the foundation said it would redirect resources towards funding scholarships for talented girls to attend leading schools across South Africa.

The future use of the academy’s campus has not yet been announced. However, the Gauteng Department of Education 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. (Vanguard)