Picture: Instagram/ Rouble Nagi

NEW DELHI: Indian teacher and activist Rouble Nagi was awarded the Global Teacher Prize on Thursday in Dubai, for helping children who have never attended school begin structured learning.Nagi’s foundation has set up more than 800 learning centres across India and also supports children who are already enrolled in school.Apart from learning centres, Nagi has painted educational murals across slum areas. These murals teach subjects such as literacy, science, mathematics and history, making learning more accessible to children in underserved communities.Rouble travels across India and works directly with children at the learning centres. She also mentors the teachers who run these centres. So far, she has recruited and trained more than 600 volunteer and paid educators. Her approach focuses on reaching children based on their academic level and social and economic background. Many of her classrooms operate in difficult conditions, where children face poverty, child labour, early marriage, irregular attendance, and lack of basic facilities. To address this, Rouble has introduced flexible schedules for working children, practical learning using recycled materials, and skill-based lessons that families find useful.Nagi said she planned to use the $1 million prize money to build an institute that will offer free vocational training to students.She is the 10th recipient of the Global Teacher Prize, which was launched in 2015. Previous winners include a teacher from Kenya who donated most of his salary to help poor students, a Palestinian teacher who promoted non-violence in classrooms, and a Canadian educator who taught students in a remote Arctic village. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour al-Mansour, recognised for his work with disadvantaged communities.