How meeting one child 27 years ago shaped Rouble Nagi's education mission

Rouble Nagi’s journey into education did not begin in a classroom, a university, or a policy room. It began 27 years ago, at a small art workshop, when she met a child who had never seen a pencil in his life.

“My journey started 27 years ago when, during one of my art workshops, I met a child who had not seen a pencil in his life,” Nagi recalls.

That moment altered the course of her life and eventually transformed the lives of lakhs of children across India. In 2026, Nagi was named the Global Teacher Prize winner, becoming the first Indian woman to receive the prestigious $1 million (around 9 crore) award, often called the “Nobel Prize for Teaching”.

A LIFE ROOTED IN SERVICE

Rouble Nagi is the daughter of Retired Colonel Gian Singh Soodan, and service has long been part of her upbringing. After getting married, she moved to Mumbai, where she began working with children from marginalised communities.

Instead of choosing a conventional teaching career, she combined art, activism, and education, believing that learning should reach children who never enter classrooms.

TURNING WALLS INTO CLASSROOMS

Through the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she has set up over 800 educational centres across more than 100 low-income communities and villages in India.

Her approach is unconventional:

• She paints murals that teach literacy, science, mathematics, and history
• Community walls become interactive learning spaces
• Art becomes a tool to spark curiosity and confidence among children
• For many children, these murals and centres were their first exposure to structured learning.

A MESSAGE FROM THE LINE OF CONTROL

After winning the Global Teacher Prize, Nagi received countless congratulations, but one message stood out. She received a video from a child studying at her computer centre near the Line of Control (LoC). The child was from Karnah village in Tangdhar, Kashmir.

The moment was deeply emotional for her, highlighting the reach of her work in even India’s most remote and sensitive regions.

GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE 2026: A HISTORIC WIN

Rouble Nagi was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 139 countries for the Global Teacher Prize 2026. She is not just a teacher, but also an artist and social activist, recognised globally for taking education beyond traditional classrooms.

The prize carries $1 million (approximately 9 crore) and global recognition for educators who transform lives.

WHAT SHE PLANS TO DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY

For Nagi, the award is not the destination it is a starting point for her next mission. She plans to use the $1 million prize money to establish an institute that will provide free vocational training to children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Her focus is on ensuring that education leads to skills, employment, and dignity, especially for those who lack access to formal schooling.

MORE THAN AN AWARD, A MOVEMENT

From a child who had never seen a pencil to thousands of children learning through murals and community centres, Rouble Nagi’s story is not just about teaching it is about access, equity, and imagination.

Her journey proves that education does not always begin in classrooms. Sometimes, it begins on a wall, with a brush, and with the belief that every child deserves a pencil and a future.