Indian teacher Rouble Nagi has won the Global Teacher Prize 2026, receiving the one million dollar award at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
The award, presented by GEMS Education in its tenth edition, was handed over by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Nagi was honoured for transforming neglected walls into interactive educational murals that teach reading, writing, arithmetic, as well as public health and environmental awareness.
Over the past two decades, her work has helped integrate more than one million children into formal education using art as a learning tool. She was chosen from over 5,000 nominations from 139 countries.
Through her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she has set up more than 800 educational centres across India, providing safe and inspiring spaces in over 100 low-income communities and villages.
These centres help out-of-school children start structured learning and return to formal education, while offering remedial support, psychosocial assistance, and creative activities to enrolled students.
Central to her approach are ‘living walls of learning,’ where abandoned walls are turned into open classrooms. Nagi travels extensively across India, mentoring teachers and directly working with children.
She has trained over 600 teachers and volunteers, creating a scalable model that addresses children’s educational, social, and economic needs.
Her programmes have cut school dropout rates by over 50 percent and significantly improved long-term retention.
She plans to use the prize money to establish a vocational institute offering free training in professional skills and digital literacy, aiming to transform life opportunities for millions of underprivileged youth.
The Global Teacher Prize, presented by GEMS Education and organised by the Varkey Foundation with UNESCO during the World Government Summit, recognises exceptional educators for their outstanding contributions to teaching.
