Oprah Winfrey Says She Will Close Her School For Girls In South Africa Next Year

JOHANNESBURG — Oprah Winfrey says she will adjacent nan schoolhouse for underprivileged girls she group up successful South Africa 2 decades agone astatine nan extremity of adjacent year.

Winfrey opened nan Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls successful 2007 aft being inspired by conversations pinch erstwhile South African President Nelson Mandela astir nan transformative powerfulness of educating girls. He was among nan guests astatine nan school’s opening ceremony.

Winfrey’s charitable instauration ran and funded nan school, but it was ever portion of nan statement that nan academy field adjacent Johannesburg beryllium yet handed complete to nan provincial acquisition department, nan academy said.

“The dream was ne'er simply to build a school,” Winfrey said successful a connection issued by nan academy connected Wednesday. “It was to put successful nan limitless imaginable of young women. That ngo doesn’t extremity pinch 1 campus. It continues successful each woman whose early tin beryllium transformed done education.”

The academy said Winfrey’s committedness to educating South African girls would proceed done an expanded nationalist danasiwa programme supporting academically talented girls astatine starring schools crossed nan country.

More than 500 girls person graduated from nan academy and immoderate person attended apical universities successful South Africa, nan United States and Europe, according to nan Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

The Gauteng provincial authorities will return complete nan 52-acre academy campus, which has 21 classrooms, six subject and machine laboratories, a 10,000-volume room and a 600-seat theater. It did not instantly opportunity what nan plans for nan spot were.

Gauteng Provincial Minister for Education Lebogang Maile said those presently enrolled successful nan schoolhouse will beryllium capable to complete their acquisition pinch uninterrupted financial support.

The academy drew world attraction soon aft opening successful 2007 erstwhile respective students accused a dormitory matron of physically and sexually abusing them.

Winfrey traveled to South Africa to meet pinch students and parents, publically apologized, and commissioned an independent investigation.

The matron was acquitted of criminal charges successful 2010.

Gumede writes for nan Associated Press.