Republic Polytechnic (RP) rolled out a campus-wide artificial intelligence (AI) transformation strategy, pledging to redesign curricula, upskill staff, and broaden partnerships with technology firms as Singapore pushes to build a deeper pipeline of AI-skilled talent.
RP said the initiative aims to embed practical and responsible AI use across teaching and learning, while giving students hands-on exposure to tools and practices they are likely to encounter in the workplace.
Under the plan, AI competencies have been progressively integrated into all diploma programmes, and by Academic Year 2027 at least half of the discipline-specific modules within each diploma will incorporate applied AI skills, RP said.
The approach will extend to continuing education and training (CET), with AI competencies infused into specialist and part-time diplomas to help adult learners use sector-specific AI tools for productivity, analysis, and decision-making, including opportunities in selected programmes to develop or deploy AI applications relevant to their industries.
“Our goal is to create an environment where every learner is empowered to succeed in the AI era,” said Jeanne Liew, RP’s principal and chief executive, adding the polytechnic wants learners to build the “confidence, judgement and skills” to navigate fast-changing technologies.
RP said academic staff are integrating AI into curriculum design and delivery, using AI-enabled tools to help generate lesson plans, assessments, and learning activities, freeing time for mentoring and deeper discussions.
Assessment practices have also been revised so learners are evaluated on process, use of AI tools, and their ability to work effectively alongside them, with an emphasis on critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and creativity.
Learners are trained to evaluate the accuracy, bias, and relevance of AI-generated responses, RP said.
RP said it has signed memorandums of understanding with AI Singapore, Autodesk, Microsoft and ST Engineering, alongside an existing collaboration with Nvidia, to bring capabilities such as generative and agentic AI, edge computing, cybersecurity automation, and AI-enabled design tools into classrooms and labs.
Beyond students, all 1,200 staff will undergo AI capability development; more than half have already reached baseline proficiency, with all staff expected to do so by end-2026.
RP’s move underscores intensifying competition among education providers to deliver job-ready AI skills as companies demand both technical fluency and safe deployment.
The shift toward assessing how learners use AI, rather than only final outputs, signals a pragmatic response to generative AI’s rapid adoption, anchoring classroom use in verification, bias-checking, and accountable decision-making.
