Professional Parenting Corps-Oprah Winfrey Has Officially Opened Her $40 Million Boarding School in South Africa

Oprah Winfrey has officially her $40 million boarding school for girls from very poor families in South Africa. The school opened with 152 girls and eventually will have an enrollment of 450. These girls were selected from over 3,500 applicants with a total family income of no more than $787 dollars per month. Educating these girls is a proven approach to accomplish one of the many goals that Oprah has defined for this school: changing the culture of South Africa, a country which is still suffering the effects of years of white minority rule and apartheid.

The girls selected for this school come from families with no running water, no electricity, no money for tuition nor for uniforms and while the families are poor they understand the importance of education being the key to improving their lives. These families wish to instill the values of education and hard work into their children and can clearly see the vast doors of opportunity which will become available to them when they complete school. Without an education these girls would have limits on their future achievement in life. Oprah Winfrey is to be applauded for her work in South Africa alongside the funding of college education for American children some have asked "what about the South African Boys?". This is another debate entirely.

This brings us back to the parents and the parenting skills of those in the US. There are excellent parents who are economicaly poor and dreadful parents who have the wealth and income so many others envy. The socio-economic level only plays a part in bad parenting in some cases, not all. So why, as a country, don't we follow Oprah's idea and incorporate her strategy for the benefit of American children? Good education and good parenting of our children in America should be encouraged at every level in our society commencing with the Government.