Mar 29, 2007 9:25 am US/Pacific
Oprah Academy In Africa Under The Microscope
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Oprah Winfrey spent five years and $40 million to build the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls to her own specifications. (File)
AP
Oprah Winfrey says she built a school for poor girls in South Africa because she wanted to feel closer to the people she was trying to help, "I wanted to give this opportunity to girls who had a light so bright that not even poverty could dim that light".
She spent five years and $40 million to build the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls to her own specifications. The school is located outside of Johannesburg, and is aimed to give 152 girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
It opened January of this year, and soon there will be a second one built in another South African town.
School curriculums and teaching programs are not immune to criticism, which is what Winfrey's Academy for Girls is now receiving. A local newspaper wrote students have been telling others of denying students e-mail access and cell phone privileges, during the week, and banning junk food in the school compound.
Oprah said she read a newspaper article quoting two parents and got a different spin from what the paper reported. She called the parents and they told her, "Yes, they do believe the school is strict, but it's necessary. They said it's strict but their kids love the school, and are doing well."
There's another concern about the Academy and that's the limit on visitations for a student, which is about four a month; two weeks in advance.
Oprah replied that every year, "we add 75 more girls, and you can't have more than four family members, because there's just not enough room."
As for the limited visits with children at the school, one parent said, "no need to disturb them".
At the moment, Oprah is not bothered by the complaints. Her priority is the well being of the students and the school.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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