Rouble Nagi, an educator and activist recently awarded the prestigious Global Teacher Prize 2026, said on Wednesday that she plans to use the USD 1 million prize money to build a skill and learning centre in Kashmir.Nagi, a Jammu-born artist and social worker, received the award at the World Government Summit in Dubai, which was handed over by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
Global Teacher Prize, a USD 1 million annual award launched by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO, recognises teachers who made exceptional contributions to the profession.
The largest prize in the world for educators’ awardee was selected among 5,000 nominations and applications received from 139 countries, according to the Global Teacher Prize website.In an interaction with reporters here, Nagi expressed her vision for the centre, aiming to bring together children, youth, and women under one roof to facilitate learning.“I want to open a very good institutional skill-cum-learning centre in Kashmir, where people learning at different places can come together under one umbrella.” Nagi, whose Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has undertaken various initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir for the betterment of the lives of the people in the Union territory. She visited the LoC village of Amrohi in Tangdhar, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, with the support of the Army.
She distributed blankets among needy families and interacted with students. Nagi also said she will work to get more learning centres in villages along the LoC to empower women and youth.
Her foundation already operates education and skill centres in various parts of India, and she would continue to impart learning and skill education.
“If we were thinking of doing ten things, we can now do 15. You all know my work, and that will continue,” she added.
Reflecting on receiving the award, Nagi said, when you receive recognition on a huge platform, apart from responsibility, you also get encouragement.
“This prize is for the whole team, all the teachers, and for the vision of Viksit Bharat. We all need to come together and support each other to bring every child towards education, which is the most important thing in every child’s life,” she said.
Nagi said the award’s recognition should not be credited to a single individual. This award is for all the teachers and children who have been a part of this movement.It strengthens the respect for teachers across the country, she added.