$40 million later, singers Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, actors Sidney Poitier and Chris Tucker and director Spike Lee in attendance, Oprah, um, quietly, came good on the promise.
The first 150 were chosen from a pool of 3,500 applications. Eventually the school will house 450 girls.
Regarding the expense - Winfrey says, ""If you are surrounded by beautiful things and wonderful teachers who inspire you, that beauty brings out the beauty in
you."Her involvement - She said she chose "every brick tile, sheet and spoon" and even lay in the beds to check on the right distance for the light switch.
Less she forget - Winfrey she was also building a home for herself on the campus to spend time with the girls and be involved in their education.
Her commitment - "I love these girls with every part of my being. I didn't know you could feel this way about other people's children."
Uh...questions...why all the fanfare? Who is at the center of this school? What do the singers and actors have to do with the school?
Why build a house that will not be lived in?
$40 million? That would buy school supplies, just a minute, let me get my calculator....that amount of money could send 10,000 Indian children to school for 16 years each!
Oprah doesn't win any points on this project from me.
What do you think?
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While I admire Oprah's engagement in this subject and agree that we need to do more to help developing nation's schools in improving their education, the math of $40m for 150kids seems a little imbalanced. For this money you can probably build some 5,000 - 10,000 schools in China;
see my post on http://janmeise.blogspot.com/2006/12/rural-schools-in-china.html
Posted by: Jan | February 1, 2007 5:47 AM | Permalink to Comment