Government taking over Oprah’s school in South Africa
After nearly 20 years, Oprah Winfrey is handing over her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) school in South Africa to the Gauteng Education Department.
After the 2027 academic year, the residential campus of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will cease to serve as the programme’s central hub.
The property will be returned to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) as stipulated in the original partnership agreement.
Although the school and its assets are being handed over to the GDE, a scholarship programme will continue to provide educational opportunities for “academically talented girls” from communities across the country.
The Academy confirmed that every student currently enrolled at OWLAG will complete her educational journey with uninterrupted academic, financial and personal support.
Since its inception in 2007, over 1,000 students have graduated from OWLAG.
“Twenty years ago, inspired by conversations with President Nelson Mandela, philanthropist and global media leader Oprah Winfrey set out to prove a simple but powerful idea,” said OWLAG.
“Educating a girl has the power to transform families, communities and ultimately a nation,” OWLAG said.
The school said its purpose was to prove what could be achieved when academically gifted girls were given every resource needed to succeed.
“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” said Oprah Winfrey.
“That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education,” she said.
According to the Academy, the scholarship programme will support young women at leading schools throughout South Africa, ensuring that Winfrey’s investment in girls’ education continues for generations to come.
Twenty years of Oprah’s influence
“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,” Winfrey said.
The Academy was designed to educate girls from disadvantaged communities across South Africa, “equipping them with an education grounded not only in academic excellence, but also in leadership, confidence, compassion and purpose.”
OWLAG, which describes itself as a trauma-informed institution, said it is dedicated to understanding the effects of trauma on individuals.
The Academy said the primary goal of trauma-informed learning, teaching, and care is to ensure that all services, interventions, and organisational practices are designed with this understanding.
OWLAG shared that an independent study commissioned in 2024 found that 99% of surveyed graduates went on to higher education, nearly nine in ten said the Academy gave them opportunities they would never otherwise have had.
The Academy said 94% reported that their education positively transformed their families.
“Today, OWLAG alumnae are serving as doctors, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, business leaders and changemakers across South Africa and around the world,” said the Academy.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, expressed his appreciation to Winfrey for her significant contribution to education in Gauteng.
“Through the transition of the Academy’s assets to the GDE, the Department will ensure that the Academy’s legacy of academic excellence, leadership development, and the creation of opportunities through education continues to benefit future generations of learners,” said Maile.
The MEC praised Winfrey for her dedication, compassion, and investment in the education of young South African girls, noting that her influence extends beyond the academy and will be remembered for years to come.
As the transition occurs, the Academy said it will maintain its commitment to the holistic development of every student and continue to support its growing network of alumnae through mentorship, leadership development, and assistance with higher education.
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