ducator and artist Rouble Nagi has been awarded the Global Teacher Prize 2026. The announcement was made on February 5, 2026, during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, UAE.
She received USD 1 million (approximately ₹9.06 crore), presented by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai.
Transformative Work: Nagi was recognized for her innovative "Living Walls of Learning" initiative, which turns neglected slum walls into interactive educational murals.
Through the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she has established over 800 learning centres across 100+ underserved communities, helping integrate more than one million children into formal education.
She was chosen from over 5,000 nominations spanning 139 countries for her commitment to art-based, community-led learning.
Nagi intends to use the prize money to establish a free vocational and digital literacy training institute to further empower underprivileged youth.
The Global Teacher Prize, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize for Teaching," is organized by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO
