Latest update:
Mumbai teacher Rubel Nagi has won the Global Teacher Prize for using art and education to change lives in slum communities.
Global Teacher Award winner Rubel Negi was seen interacting with girl students at a school function in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: X/@ROUBLENAGI)
Mumbai-based social worker and educator from Jammu and Kashmir, Rubel Nagi, won the Global Educator Award at the World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE. The award, often described as the “Nobel of Teaching,” honors teachers who have made noteworthy contributions to the profession.
Nagi received the award, along with $1 million in prize money, for creating more than 800 education centers and painting educational murals on the walls of slums across India.
She chairs the Rubel Nagy Arts Foundation (RANF), which was founded to educate children and make them interested, responsible and productive citizens.
RANF has provided low-cost and sustainable educational models for underprivileged children to provide quality education, according to the foundation’s website.
“Misal Mumbai”
Nagi also led the Misal Mumbai initiative, under which more than 150,000 homes 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 provides free vocational training to young people.
Who is Rubel Nagy?
Nagy, a world-famous artist, has created more than 800 murals and held more than 150 exhibitions around the world. Its murals teach reading, writing, science, mathematics, and history, among other subjects.
She is a member of the Design Council of India and has contributed to the beautification of Mumbai through public art installations. Naji holds 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 International Teacher Award.
Previous winners
Established by the Varkey Foundation in 2015 to honor outstanding teachers around the world, the Global Teacher Prize is given annually to teachers whose work has had a profound social impact.
- 2015 – Nancy Atwell (US): English teacher and literacy pioneer, and the first ever recipient of the award.
- 2016 – Hanan Al-Hroub (Palestine): Recognized for helping children affected by violence and conflict through innovative teaching methods.
- 2017 – Maggie McDonnell (Canada): She was honored for her work with students in remote Arctic communities and improving youth well-being.
- 2018 – Andrea Zafirakou (UK): Awarded for her community-focused arts education in a challenging urban school environment.
- 2019 – Peter Tabichi (Kenya): A science teacher celebrates transforming learning outcomes in an under-resourced rural area.
- 2020 – Ranjitsinh Disali (India): Recognized for promoting girls’ education and introducing QR-coded textbooks; He was known for sharing his prize money with his fellow finalists.
- 2021 – Keshia Thorpe (United States/Jamaica): Honored for redesigning curricula to support immigrant and refugee students.
- 2022, 2023 -There is no winner that is widely publicized.
- 2024 – Information about a single winner has not been widely disseminated.
- 2025 – Mansour al-Mansour (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): Recognized for community education initiatives and work with underserved students.
- 2026 – Nagy ruble (India): He has been honored for creating hundreds of learning centers and using art and education to transform slum communities.
05 February 2026 at 19:48 IST
Read more
