Meet Indian teacher Rouble Nagi who won $1m Global Teacher Prize in Dubai

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi greets Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, while receiving the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize at the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai. The award was presented by Sheikh Hamdan alongside Sunny Varkey, founder of GEMS Education.

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi is overcome with emotion after receiving the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize at the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai.

Nagi was recognised for using large-scale educational murals and grassroots learning centres to reach children from some of the country’s most underprivileged communities

The jury said her work stood out for turning neglected neighbourhoods into vibrant learning spaces, where walls became tools to teach literacy, science, mathematics and history.

An internationally acclaimed artist, Nagi had created more than 800 murals and held over 150 exhibitions across India and abroad.

Rouble Nagi during a visit to slums in Mumbai on February 17, 2018. Under her Misaal Mumbai initiative, Nagi had painted over 285 slum houses, aiming to improve living conditions through repairs, roof waterproofing, better sanitation and the beautification of homes.

A member of the India Design Council, she had also contributed to Mumbai’s urban beautification through public art installations, while ensuring that art served a larger social purpose.

Her flagship initiative, Misaal Mumbai, had played a key role in improving living and learning conditions in informal settlements. Under the programme, more than 150,000 houses had been painted and repaired, with work ongoing in over 163 slums and villages across the country.

Through her non-profit organisation, the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she introduced low-cost, sustainable education models aimed at improving access to quality learning for marginalised children.

According to information shared on her website, the foundation’s goal was to ensure that education helped children grow into caring, responsible and productive citizens.

Blanket distribution drive organised by the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation in New Delhi.

In a significant step towards community empowerment, the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, in collaboration with the Indian Army, inaugurated a computer laboratory at Madrassa Shah-e-Hamdan and a dedicated women’s skill development centre at Roza-tul-Salehat, Baghbela Tangdhar, in Kupwara.

Following the announcement, Nagi said the prize money would be used to establish an institute offering free vocational training to equip young people with practical skills and employment opportunities.

She became the tenth teacher to receive the award. In 2025, Saudi educator Mansour al-Mansour, known for his work with disadvantaged communities in the UAE, was named the winner.