On 21 May 2026, at the 11th Annual Singapore OpenGov CXO Leadership Forum, the AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET) was recognised with the OpenGov Asia Recognition of Excellence Award 2026 for its self-developed AI-driven learning platform, ScholAIstic.
The award honours the remarkable creativity, discipline, and commitment the team has demonstrated in elevating the student experience through AI-driven experiential learning at scale. The OpenGov Asia Recognition of Excellence programme, established in 2015, recognises organisations across the Asia-Pacific region that are setting new benchmarks in digital innovation and service delivery across government, healthcare, education, and financial services.
The Genesis of ScholAIstic: Addressing Educational Challenges
The development of ScholAIstic was inspired by a collaboration with Dr. Gerard Chung, a social work professor at NUS, who wanted his students to learn how to engage with clients but faced the challenge of scaling traditional roleplay exercises for large classes. Existing commercial AI tools were insufficient for higher education because they lacked mechanisms for instructors to review conversation transcripts for grading or providing feedback, and they were often susceptible to prompt injections that caused chatbots to break character.
Driven by a “Pedagogy-First” approach – where technology serves to amplify rather than replace effective teaching – AICET built ScholAIstic to provide a structured, secure environment. The AI platform enables instructors to fully customise chatbot personas, align simulations with specific learning objectives, and deliver targeted, rubric-based feedback.
Growing Impact Across Faculties and Institutions
Launched with just under 100 users, ScholAIstic has grown significantly and now accommodates over 6,000 users across multiple faculties and institutions. The platform successfully supports experiential learning across diverse domains, including Social Work, Law, and Healthcare Education.
In addition to higher education, AICET’s pedagogy team works closely with local MOE schools, polytechnics, and junior colleges to support AI learning companions, debate practices, and project work planning in the broader educational ecosystem.
Insights from Prof Ben Leong, Director of AICET
“The challenge has always been: how do you give every student the experience of learning by doing? With ScholAIstic, we finally have the answer! What has been most encouraging is seeing how students are engaged when they can practise, fail, and try again in a safe space.
There’s so much we can do with AI in teaching, and we want to approach it in a thoughtful and effective way. The results across disciplines like social work, law, and healthcare have been really promising, so we’re excited about what comes next.”
Future Horizons
Building upon the momentum of this prestigious award, AICET is committed to pushing the boundaries of educational innovation and moving forward with even greater dedication. To further lower the friction of adoption and enhance professional growth, the Centre will double down on developing key initiatives, including the Pedagogy Playbook to guide educators in designing high-quality simulations independently, a Chatbot Marketplace for instructors to easily share their custom-built chatbots with peers, and Advanced Interactions incorporating multi-modal, multi-agent, and multi-stage features to support complex pedagogical scenarios. Guided by this vision, AICET will continue to strive for excellence and lead the purposeful integration of AI in education.
