Rouble Nagi, an Indian teacher, has the won the Global Teacher Prize 2026, a $1 million award, instituted by GEMS Education, in Dubai during the World Governments Summit.

Nagi was honoured in recognition of her efforts to transform neglected walls into interactive educational murals that teach reading, writing and arithmetic, alongside key concepts related to public health and environmental awareness. Over the past two decades, she has helped integrate more than one million children into formal education by employing art as an educational tool, and was selected from more than 5,000 nominations and applications received from 139 countries.

Through her foundation, the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, Nagi established more than 800 educational centres across India, providing safe and inspiring spaces in over 100 low-income communities and villages. These centres enable out-of-school children to begin structured learning and gradually return to formal education, while supporting enrolled students through remedial education programmes, psychosocial support and creative activities.

The concept of ‘Living Walls of Learning’ is central to Nagi’s work, through which she transforms abandoned walls into open learning classrooms. Nagi travels extensively across India, working directly with children in educational centres and mentoring the teachers who lead them. She has recruited and trained more than 600 teachers and volunteers, creating a scalable model that responds to children’s educational, social and economic needs.

The programmes led by this distinguished teacher have succeeded in reducing school dropout rates by more than 50 percent and significantly improving long-term educational retention. Nagi plans to allocate the US$1 million prize to establish a vocational institute offering free training in professional skills and digital literacy, with the aim of creating a genuine transformation in life opportunities for millions of underprivileged children and youth.

UAE Deputy PM and Defense Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that honouring teachers reflects a deep appreciation for their role in society, noting that they leave a lasting impact on future generations and serve as role models who inspire a love of learning and a strong commitment to values.

The list of ten finalists for the prize included: Adeola Olufunke (Nigeria), Alfonso Filippone (Italy), Ana Revuelta (Spain), Colleen O’Rourke (Australia), Ewa Drobek (Poland), Gloria Cisneros (Argentina), Jasmyn Wright (USA), Joshue Paternina (Colombia), and Timothy Stiven (USA). – editor@nrifocus.com