Oprah Winfrey’s African School Revolt

Oprah Winfrey is always throwing herself into the public eye with one of her “good deeds”, but this time things appear to be backfiring.  One of Oprah’s fatal flaws is her over-controlling tendency, and this time, if you ask a group of parents who send their daughters to Oprah’s girls-only school in South Africa, she has gone too far.

Some of these parents claim that their children are being treated like inmates at a jail, and have even taken to the local newspapers to voice their dissent.  The chief complaints of the parents are that they rarely get a chance to see their children (only allowed monthly visits), and the children are only allowed to eat Oprah-approved meals.

As one mother was quoted by an African newspaper, “their diet is fruit, yogurt, and sandwiches.”

When confronted about the issues, a spokeswoman for Winfrey said that the parents are allowed to bring the children food when they visit, but are encouraged to bring educational materials instead.

Winfrey’s approach of “my way or the highway” is not settling well with most of the parents of the children that attend her school.  These parents want the best education for their children, but they do not want them being raised in an environment that resembles Alcatraz more than an elementary school. 

Who is right and who is wrong on this issue remains to be unclear, but the school must be doing something right.  In its first year of operation, more than 5,000 students applied for 150 slots.

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