SHAYAMOYA, South Africa (AP) — Oprah Winfrey opened her second school for poor South African youth yesterday, an innovative, environmentally friendly institution she hopes will be a model for public education.The Seven Fountains Primary School was funded by Oprah’s Angel Network, a public charity that supports organisations and projects focused on education and literacy.

“The Seven Fountains School is an example of what schools in South Africa can become,” Winfrey said at the school’s formal dedication outside the remote town of Kokstad in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

Dressed casually in a cream top and white pants, the talk-show host danced and sang with teachers and children who lauded her with cries of “Long live Oprah, long live!”

Winfrey first visited the school in 2002 when it was located on a farm, bringing gifts, clothing, books and teacher-training materials for its 1,000 students and staff.

The school was later forced to move from the farm and relocated to a building with no windows, little electricity and running water, and only four toilets.

During a follow-up visit in 2004, the Angel Network committed itself to building a new school.

“We thought the school you had before was not good enough, so we wanted to build the best school for you,” she told the children Friday.

The $1.6 million school, which will be run by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, has 25 classrooms, three multipurpose rooms, a library, computer centre, landscaped playground and two sports fields.

The supply of water to the area is irregular, so the school has an innovative system that recycles rainwater and uses seesaws and merry-go-rounds to pump water. It also uses solar power and has landscaped gardens that supply vegetables for school meals.

“It can be done within the expectations of budgets. We used our imagination and creativity to build not only a good school but a great school,” Winfrey said.

Winfrey emphasised the importance of education in combating poverty and said every child had a right to succeed.