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Mumbai educator Rouble Nagi wins Global Teacher Prize for using art and education to change lives in slum communities.
Global Teacher Prize winner Rouble Nagi seen interacting with female students at a school function in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. (IMAGE: X/@ROUBLENAGI)
Rouble Nagi, a Mumbai-based social worker and educator from Jammu and Kashmir, has won the Global Teacher Prize at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The prize, often described as the “Nobel of Teaching,” honours educators who have made noteworthy contributions to the profession.
Nagi received the award, along with $1 million in prize money, for setting up more than 800 learning centres and painting educational murals on slum walls across India.
She heads the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RANF), which was established to educate children and make them caring, responsible and productive citizens.
RANF has introduced low-cost and sustainable educational models for underprivileged children to provide quality education, according to the foundation’s website.
‘Misaal Mumbai’
Nagi also spearheaded the Misaal Mumbai initiative, under which more than 150,000 houses were painted and repaired. The foundation currently works in over 163 slums and villages across the country.
She plans to use the prize money to build an institute that will offer free vocational training to young people.
Who Is Rouble Nagi
An internationally acclaimed artist, Nagi has created more than 800 murals and held over 150 exhibitions worldwide. Her murals teach literacy, science, mathematics and history, among other subjects.
A member of the India Design Council, she has contributed to Mumbai’s beautification through public art installations. Nagi pursued a BA in Political Science and studied Fine Art at the Slade School of Fine Art as well as European Art at Sotheby’s in London.
She is the tenth teacher to receive the Global Teacher Prize.
Past Winners
Since it was established by the Varkey Foundation in 2015 to recognise outstanding educators worldwide, the Global Teacher Prize has been awarded annually to teachers whose work has had deep social impact.
- 2015 – Nancie Atwell (United States): English teacher and literacy pioneer, the first ever recipient of the prize.
- 2016 – Hanan Al Hroub (Palestine): Recognised for helping children affected by violence and conflict through innovative teaching methods.
- 2017 – Maggie MacDonnell (Canada): Honoured for her work with students in remote Arctic communities and improving youth wellbeing.
- 2018 – Andria Zafirakou (United Kingdom): Awarded for her community-focused arts education in a challenging urban school environment.
- 2019 – Peter Tabichi (Kenya): A science teacher celebrated for transforming learning outcomes in an under-resourced rural region.
- 2020 – Ranjitsinh Disale (India): Recognised for promoting girls’ education and introducing QR-coded textbooks; he famously shared his prize money with fellow finalists.
- 2021 – Keishia Thorpe (United States/Jamaica): Honoured for redesigning curricula to support immigrant and refugee students.
- 2022, 2023 – No widely publicised winner.
- 2024 – Information on a single winner not widely reported.
- 2025 – Mansour al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia): Recognised for community education initiatives and work with underserved students.
- 2026 – Rouble Nagi (India): Honoured for establishing hundreds of learning centres and using art and education to transform slum communities.
February 05, 2026, 19:48 IST
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