{"id":2252,"date":"2026-08-01T05:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T05:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2252"},"modified":"2026-08-01T05:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T05:36:47","slug":"oprah-winfrey-says-she-will-close-her-school-for-girls-in-south-africa-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2252","title":{"rendered":"Oprah Winfrey says she will close her school for girls in South Africa next year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) \u2014 Oprah Winfrey<\/span> says she will close the school for underprivileged girls she set up in South Africa<\/span> two decades ago at the end of next year. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018I just want a chance\u2019: Moroccans sought better future in collective crossing to Spain territory<\/a><\/p>\n

Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 after being inspired by conversations with former South African President Nelson Mandela<\/span> about the transformative power of educating girls. He was among the guests at the school\u2019s opening ceremony.<\/p>\n

Winfrey\u2019s charitable foundation ran and funded the school, but it was always part of the agreement that the academy campus near Johannesburg be ultimately handed over to the provincial education department, the academy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dream was never simply to build a school,\u201d Winfrey said in a statement issued by the academy on Wednesday. \u201cIt was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn\u2019t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The academy said Winfrey\u2019s commitment to educating South African girls would continue through an expanded national scholarship program supporting academically talented girls at leading schools across the country.<\/p>\n

More than 500 girls have graduated from the academy and some have attended top universities in South Africa, the United States and Europe, according to the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.<\/p>\n

Read more Russia hits Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles and drones killing 3 and wounding over a dozen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre academy campus, which has 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a 10,000-volume library and a 600-seat theater. It did not immediately say what the plans for the property were.<\/p>\n

Gauteng Provincial Minister for Education Lebogang Maile said those currently enrolled in the school will be able to complete their education with uninterrupted financial support.<\/p>\n

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The academy drew international attention shortly after opening in 2007 when several students accused a dormitory matron of physically and sexually abusing them. <\/p>\n

Winfrey traveled to South Africa to meet with students and parents, publicly apologized, and commissioned an independent investigation.<\/p>\n

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The matron was acquitted of criminal charges in 2010.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This report has been corrected to show Oprah Winfrey\u2019s statement as issued on Wednesday and not Thursday.<\/p>\n

Read more US to make visa bond requirements permanent, affecting mostly African countries<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Africa news: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oprah Winfrey says she will close the school for underprivileged girls she set up in South Africa two decades ago at the end of next year. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in 2007 after conversations with Nelson Mandela about educating girls. Winfrey’s foundation ran the school, but it was always planned to hand it over to the provincial education department. Winfrey says her commitment to educating South African girls will continue through an expanded national scholarship program. The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre campus. Students currently enrolled can complete their education with financial support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOprah Winfrey says she will close her school for girls in South Africa next year - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2252\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oprah Winfrey says she will close her school for girls in South Africa next year - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Oprah Winfrey says she will close the school for underprivileged girls she set up in South Africa two decades ago at the end of next year. 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