Teacher Wins $1 Million For Turning Slums Into 800+ Classrooms

February 19, 2026

A teacher in India who transformed some of the country’s most underserved communities into vibrant learning spaces has been awarded one of education’s highest honors.

Credit: WION / Apeksha Roy, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Rouble Nagi, a 45-year-old artist, has received the prestigious $1 million Global Teacher Prize — an award launched by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO to recognize educators who have made exceptional contributions to the profession.

According to the Global Teacher Prize website, Nagi was selected from 5,000 nominations and applications spanning 139 countries.

But her journey didn’t begin with a grand plan.

Nearly three decades ago, a young boy walked into one of her art workshops in Mumbai. Nagi soon learned that he lived in a slum and couldn’t afford to attend school. That moment changed everything.

She realized something powerful: children in marginalized communities were eager to learn — they simply lacked access. And she believed art could be the bridge.

Through her nonprofit organization, the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF), she began taking education directly into underserved areas. Over the years, her foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India in over 100 underserved communities and villages.

Instead of traditional classrooms alone, these centers use art-based learning to simplify complex subjects and spark curiosity.

“Learning can happen anywhere. You just have to make it interesting,” Nagi says.

Today, what started with one child’s unexpected visit has grown into a nationwide movement — bringing education to thousands of young people who might otherwise have gone without it.

And she’s not slowing down.

With the $1 million prize, Nagi hopes to expand her foundation’s initiatives to even more communities across India.