Indian teacher who created hundreds of learning centers wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Indian teacher and activist known for creating hundreds of learning centers and painting educational murals across the walls of slums won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize on Thursday.

Rouble Nagi accepted the award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.

Her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India. They aim to have children who never attended school begin to have structured learning. They also teach children already in school.

Nagi also paints murals that teach literacy, science, math and history, among other topics.

The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.

Nagi plans to use the $1 million to build an institute that offers free vocational training.

Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015.

Past winners of the Global Teacher Prize have included a Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor, a Palestinian primary school teacher who teaches her students about non-violence and a Canadian educator who taught a remote Arctic village of Inuit students. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour al-Mansour, who was known for his work with the poor in the kingdom.

GEMS Education, or Global Education Management Systems, is one of the world’s largest private school operators and is believed to be worth billions. Its success has followed that of Dubai, where only private schools offer classes for the children of the foreigners who power its economy.

A boy plays near a wall of public toilet that shows a mural by the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation in the Dhobi Ghat area of Mumbai, India, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A boy stands beside a wall that shows a mural by the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation in the Dhobi Ghat area of Mumbai, India, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, greets Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum before receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from him at a ceremony awarding the Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi walks off the stage after receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi walks off the stage after receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi poses for a photograph after receiving the Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, receives the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, as Varkey foundation founder Sunny Varkey, right, applauds during the ceremony, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, receives the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Back-to-back powerful earthquakes slammed Venezuela on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas and leaving residents shaken.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and its epicenter was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometers (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22 kilometers.

The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake just a minute later. The second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers and its epicenter was 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Morón.

The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

The earthquakes struck shortly after 6 p.m. local time. People evacuated swaying buildings in Caracas and remained outside, many visibly shocked as they saw entire walls that had collapsed, making furniture visible from the street. Dust columns could also be seen in two neighborhoods of the capital, where restaurants and other businesses are typically busy. People remained on the streets after sunset. Some sat on the ground hugging their pets as dust gathered around them.

“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states. The Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings, he said, suggesting people were injured in the earthquake and asking motorists to give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”

He also urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.

“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Gamas said. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for Virgin Islands. Authorities in the Dominican Republic also issued one for the island. Another alert for Puerto Rico was quickly lifted.

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela.

While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America. Along the Pacific coast — in Mexico and Chile, for example — earthquakes are frequent; the two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.

Garcia Cano reported from Bogota, Colombia. Anna-Catherine Brigada contributed from Mexico City.

A collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Adrian Naranjo)

Rescue worker carry an injured man after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A man jumps on a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Adrian Naranjo)

Rescue workers search for survivor at a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

People stay outside their homes after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

People walk amid debris after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)