Oprah Winfrey is closing her famous South African girls’ academy in 2027 after nearly 20 years of changing lives. However, this is not the end of her mission. Instead, the media icon is shifting her focus to a scholarship program that will help even more young women across South Africa. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in 2007 in Gauteng after a promise she made to Nelson Mandela. Since then, the school has produced more than 1,000 graduates from disadvantaged communities.
Even though the school will close, every current student will finish her education without any disruption. Oprah has promised to cover their tuition and continue providing academic and personal support until graduation. After the closure, the Gauteng Department of Education will take over the campus.
Education MEC Lebogang Maile praised Oprah for her huge investment in young girls. He said the academy’s legacy of academic excellence and leadership development will continue to benefit future generations.
Meanwhile, Oprah said her vision has always gone beyond one school building.
“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,” she said.
“It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”
Her foundation will now expand scholarships and mentorship opportunities so that more girls can access quality education across the country.
The academy was built with an investment of about $40 million after Oprah’s conversation with Nelson Mandela about using education to fight poverty. Although the school faced controversy shortly after opening because of abuse allegations against a staff member, it recovered and earned respect for academic excellence. Looking back, Oprah has called the academy her “greatest legacy.”
Now, as the final students prepare to graduate in 2027, she hopes her new scholarship program will empower even more young women to achieve their dreams.
