Award Announcement and Selection Details: On 19 February 2026, 45‑year‑old artist Rouble Nagi received the $1 million Global Teacher Prize, a Varkey Foundation‑UNESCO award chosen from 5,000 nominations across 139 countries, recognizing her innovative work in education for underserved Indian communities[1].

Scale and Model of the Foundation’s Learning Centres: The Rouble Nagi Art Foundation now operates more than 800 free learning centres in over 100 slums and villages, delivering basic math and language lessons in makeshift open‑air spaces or painted cubicles that double as murals to simplify concepts[1]. Volunteers serve as teachers and counselors, visiting absent children’s homes and holding parent sessions to keep enrollment high and support transitions to formal schooling[1].

Impact on Students and Alumni Success Stories: Alumni such as Mayur, who runs his own art classes and printing business while volunteering, illustrate the programme’s capacity to generate sustainable livelihoods[1]. Seven‑year‑old Khushi, whose mother works as a domestic worker, now looks forward to attending the centre daily and aspires to become a teacher, reflecting the model’s ability to inspire long‑term educational ambition[1].

Future Expansion Plans Using Prize Money: Nagi intends to allocate the prize funds to construct a skill‑cum‑learning centre equipped with computers in Jammu & Kashmir, the federally administered territory where she grew up, extending the “Misaal” project that transforms slum walls into educational murals[1].