After two decades of transforming the lives of young South African women, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will officially close at the end of the 2027 academic year, marking the end of one chapter while opening another through an expanded national scholarship initiative.
The academy, established in 2007 through a partnership between American media icon Oprah Winfrey and South Africa’s late President Nelson Mandela, was created to provide academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds with access to high-quality education, leadership training and personal development opportunities.
Since opening its doors, the academy has produced more than 800 graduates, many of whom have gone on to build successful careers in medicine, engineering, law, science, education, business and public service.
Under the original agreement, ownership of the school’s campus in Henley-on-Klip, near Meyerton in Gauteng, will be transferred to the Gauteng Department of Education once the academy closes.
Learners who have not yet completed their matric studies will continue their education at other leading schools, with tuition costs fully covered until they graduate.
A new chapter focused on scholarships
While the boarding school will cease operating, Oprah Winfrey says her commitment to girls’ education in South Africa is far from over.
Instead of concentrating resources on a single institution, her foundation plans to expand its scholarship programme, enabling talented young women from across the country to attend leading schools through educational partnerships.
According to the academy, the new initiative is intended to extend the impact of the academy beyond one campus, allowing a greater number of students to benefit from opportunities that were previously available only through OWLAG.
The organisation said the expanded scholarship programme will continue investing in young women for generations to come, preserving the academy’s legacy while broadening its national reach.
Winfrey described the transition as an evolution of the original vision rather than its conclusion.
“The dream was never simply to build a school,” she said. “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.”
A lasting legacy
Admission to the academy was based not only on financial need but also on academic excellence, leadership potential, resilience, integrity and a demonstrated commitment to serving others.
Over the years, the institution became one of South Africa’s best-known educational initiatives focused on empowering young women from disadvantaged communities.
Its alumni include Lindiwe Tsope, the academy’s first graduate to earn a PhD in Sociology from Rhodes University, and Bongeka Zuma, the top student of the inaugural class, who later completed a master’s degree at the University of Oxford and earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University.
As the academy prepares to close, its founders believe the next phase of investment in scholarships will allow even more young women across South Africa to access quality education and leadership opportunities.
Source: South African.