美国传媒大亨奥普拉·温弗瑞宣布，她将于明年底关闭在南非创办的奥普拉·温弗瑞领导力女生学院[1]。该校成立于2007年，为来自贫困背景的女生提供教育机会[1]。
学校校园占地52英亩，设有21间教室、6个科学和计算机实验室、一个拥有1万册藏书的图书馆以及一个600座剧院[1]。自建校以来，学校已培养出500多名毕业生[1]。根据高茨省教育部长勒博赫·麦尔的表述，"目前就读该校的学生将能够完成学业，获得不间断的财政支持"[1]。校园设施将由高茨省教育部门接管[1]。温弗瑞宣布，她将把对南非教育的支持转向扩大全国奖学金计划[1]。
Oprah Winfrey has announced plans to close the Leadership Academy for Girls that she founded in South Africa, with the shutdown set to occur by the end of next year [1]. The school, established in 2007, has graduated more than 500 girls and has served as an educational institution for disadvantaged female students [1].
The 52-acre campus, which features 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a library containing 10,000 books, and a 600-seat theater, will be transferred to the Gauteng Department of Education [1]. Gauteng Education Minister Lebohang Maile stated that "students currently enrolled at the school will be able to complete their studies and receive uninterrupted financial support" [1]. Rather than continuing direct school operations, Winfrey intends to redirect her support toward expanding a national scholarship program [1].
The school's closure comes more than a decade after a sexual harassment scandal erupted shortly after its 2007 opening, when a residential manager was acquitted of charges in 2010 [1].