By: Saneliso Mlambo
Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will conclude its residential operations at the end of the 2027 academic year, marking the end of nearly two decades of direct management.
The academy’s campus in Henley on Klip, Gauteng, will be transferred to the Gauteng Department of Education in line with the original partnership established when the school was founded.
The announcement was made on Wednesday as Winfrey unveiled a new education strategy aimed at reaching more academically gifted girls across South Africa. Instead of operating a single boarding school, her charitable foundation will expand its scholarship programme, which is expected to support roughly twice as many learners as the academy currently serves.
“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.” She said the next phase of the initiative would allow the foundation to extend educational opportunities to talented girls from communities across the country.
The academy will continue operating until the end of the 2027 academic year. The final two cohorts will graduate from OWLAG, while any remaining learners affected by the transition will have their education fully funded at leading schools until they complete matric.
The school was established following discussions between Oprah Winfrey and former President Nelson Mandela in 2000 about expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged South African girls. Construction began in 2002, and the academy welcomed its first Grade 8 learners in 2007.
Over the past 20 years, OWLAG has become one of South Africa’s most recognised independent schools. According to the academy, hundreds of graduates have gone on to study at universities in South Africa, the United States and Europe, with the institution earning a reputation for academic excellence, leadership development and community service.
While the transition marks the end of Oprah Winfrey’s direct involvement in running the academy, she said her commitment to girls’ education in South Africa remains unchanged. Through the expanded scholarship programme, the foundation aims to broaden its impact and ensure more young women have access to quality education in the years ahead.