India’s Rouble Nagi Wins Global Teacher Prize

On 4th February 2026, Indian teacher Rouble Nagi received the Global Teacher Prize 2026 at the World Government Summit in Dubai, winning the 1-million-dollar award presented by GEMS Education.

Nagi was recognised for transforming neglected walls into interactive educational murals that teach reading, writing, arithmetic, public health and environmental awareness.
Over the past two decades, she has helped integrate more than 1 million children into formal education using art as a learning tool.
She was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications received from 139 countries.
Through the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she has established more than 800 educational centres across India in over 100 low-income communities and villages.
These centres support out-of-school children in entering formal education and provide remedial learning, psychosocial support and creative engagement for enrolled students.
Her “living walls of learning” initiative converts abandoned walls into open classrooms, and she has trained more than 600 teachers and volunteers across the country.