Who is Rouble Nagi? Indian teacher who built 800 learning centres wins $1 million global prize

Rouble Nagi has been named the winner of the $1 million GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026, an initiative of the Varkey Foundation organised in collaboration with UNESCO.

According to the official website of the Global Teacher Prize, Rouble has, over the past two decades, helped bring more than one million children into the formal education system through the power of art.

She was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications across 139 countries and was announced as the winner during a ceremony at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

Through her organisation, the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF), she has established more than 800 learning centres across India. These centres serve as inspiring educational spaces in over 100 slums and villages, where children who have never attended school can begin structured learning and be reintegrated into mainstream education.

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize, GEMS Education, and the Varkey Foundation, said: “Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be — courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential. By bringing education to the most marginalised communities, she has not only changed individual lives but strengthened families and communities. Her work reminds us that teachers are the most powerful force for progress in our world.”

Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said: “Congratulations, Rouble. This moment reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter. UNESCO is honoured to join the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating educators like you who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children enter school — an act that can change the course of a life. It affirms the right to learn, to dream, and to build a future filled with possibility.”

Rouble plans to use the $1 million prize money to establish a Skilling Institute that will offer free vocational and digital literacy training, aiming to transform the life prospects of millions more marginalised children and young people.