Marketing Plan IN EGYPT
Arab Academy for Science and Technology
“Branch ElAlamine”
Dr. Niveen Elsagheir
International Marketing Project
The Problem
The AASTMT is opening it’s new branch in El Alamein city. The Academy campus
in Alamein has been established in order to meet the aspirations of parents and their
children in a distinguished educational service through Smart Campus and to introduce
new study programs in line with the scientific development in the fields of industry,
medical sciences and the administrative sciences. Yet, there is no awareness or
marketing campaign that has been made to inform the public in Egypt about the new
campus..
Purpose of the Marketing Plan
The purpose of this document is to guide the administration, faculty and staff of
AAST to effectively market the new campus and its services to the Egyptian Market.
The Solution
We proposed the idea of a 60 second video showreel to target the future Egyptian students
and drive them to apply for the academy’s new branch. We are targeting the Egyptian youth,
specifically, 16 to 18 years old students who are looking for university options. The video is
going to use humor as mechanism to trigger the audience reactions. The idea is simply promoting
El Alamein campus as a place to study and have fun doing summer/sea activities at the same
time. We suggested the slogan: “Study where Every Day is a Summer Holiday!”.
Figure 1 Our Solution Illustration
Description of ElAlamine Campus
The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport is a leading
organization in the Arab world in the field of education, training, scientific research and
consultancy, and all its degrees are accredited in both international and local level.
The Academy in El-Alamein has been established in order to meet the aspirations
of parents and their children in a distinguished educational service through Smart
Campus and to introduce new study programs in line with the scientific development in
the fields of industry, medical sciences and the administrative sciences.
The bachelor degrees which offered in El-Alamein campus are offered as a dual
degree (double certificate) with esteemed international universities and reflect the
desire of the Academy to provide a distinguished educational service that deliver the
same educational standards in foreign universities abroad, and provide distinguished
services in the campus and commensurate with the mix of theoretical knowledge with
practical training and skills acquisition and refinement scientific research of our
students and giving them added value of scientific expertise to the graduation
certificate.
College of Dental Medicine:
AASTMT College of Dentistry:
The College of Dental Medicine will be offering a Bachelor of Oral and Dental
Surgery (BDS). The objective of the College is to prepare students to be well-trained oral
health care professionals. In order to accomplish this, AAST will promote diversity in
thinking and human resources, support creative breakthroughs, and commit to ethical
and responsible leadership in patient care, scholarship and research. Evolving
comprehensive dental education that integrates science, technology, patient needs, and
lifelong learning in a world-class environment adopting dynamic research to improve
oral care and impact overall health, also recruiting, developing, supporting, and
retaining a diverse group of exceptional students, faculty and staff,
AAST are planning to focus on achieving and maintaining excellence in four main
areas: a comprehensive dental education, cutting-edge research, quality patient care and
public service.
Duration: 5 years (10 semesters)
College of Artificial Intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence (A.I) is developing in a fast pace all over the world as one of the
most important pillars in science emphasizing on simulating the human cognitive
thinking and behavior in order to automating decision making process or solving
cognitive-based problems.
The first appearance of Artificial Intelligence was in 1955 and it was evolved and
dominated in many fields that enhanced their performances such as: smart cities,
autonomous cars, diseases diagnose, &hellipetc. Moreover, many countries has invested
in AI focusing on its applications which are expected to increase the global economic
output by 2030 to reach 13 trillion US Dollars (according to a September 2018 by
McKinsey). Furthermore, AI is also expected to replace the humans in many fields of
work by 2060. Therefore, founding an AI college becomes an essential issue in order to
cope with the AI world evolution.
The AI applications, based mainly on simulating the human thinking and providing
smart solutions such as self-driving cars and aircrafts, robots which do many tasks of
working through human thinking simulations programs, cell-phones' applications that
AAST use continuously, simulation programs that assist in medical diagnosis, Video
games' applications based on simulating the human thinking - Supporting decision
making in all areas by providing different solutions - smart cities that are established
and adopted on technology in various aspects.
Duration: 4 years (8 semesters)
College of pharmacy:
Currently, the College of Pharmacy will be offering a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm).
The central objective of the College is achieving Excellency in all provided educational
services via implementation of continuous improvement concept and maintaining fine
equilibrium between teaching the solid basis of pharmaceutical sciences and adopting
the recent developments in the fields of pharmacy practice and patient care.
The highly qualified College members and higher admission requirements along with
the competitive system of scholarships will be applied to attract high quality students.
Truly, being present in the AASTMT, the College of Pharmacy Bachelor program has the
unique opportunity of offering courses in the fields of business and quality
management, informatics, and logistics that are designed and delivered by world
renowned experts in these fields, which will ensure wider experience for the College
graduates.
Besides, the future continuous development of educational resources, lab facilities, and
infrastructure will be a chief target for the College to maintain delivery of its quality
services to students and community.
Duration:6 years (12 semesters)
Market study
Market size, needs and growth trends.
A year ago, the Higher Education Ministry ran a comparison of the state of higher
education in 2021 versus where it was back in 2014.
All the stats are pointing upwards, with more students, universities, faculties,
faculty members, published academic papers and university hospitals. Also significant is
the fact that public and private sector spending has been growing in tandem. And while
supply doesn’t always keep up with demand — particularly in the outlying governorates
what we see here is robust sector growth on all sides, reflecting both population and
GDP growth. Let’s dive into the numbers.
In total, 3 million students are enrolled in Egypt, which is 30.4% higher than the
2.3 million seven years ago. Postgraduate students jumped to 430k, up 11.7% from 385k
in 2014.
Some 1,150 students were sent to study abroad in 2021, either via student
exchange programs or postgraduate governmental scholarships. This is more than
double the number sent in 2014. UNESCO data last year showed that, in total, the
number of Egyptians who study overseas has almost quadrupled over the past two
decades, growing from 8.8k in 2000 to 34.9k in 2017-2018. The government has made
reversing this trend a priority which it is addressing through its internationalization
strategy. This includes regulations issued two years ago mandating universities launch
new faculties to form academic partnerships with foreign universities that rank higher
than Egypt’s highest ranking academic institution.
But more students are coming in than are going out: There are 87k international
students currently enrolled in Egypt’s public and private universities, almost
quadrupling from 22k in 2014.
And there are bigger plans afoot: The Supreme Council of Universities
announced in 2017 a strategy to increase the total number of foreign students to 200k.
The government is reportedly aiming to increase international students’ contribution to
the economy to USD 700 million, from some USD 186 million in 2017.
Egypt currently boasts 36 private universities and technical colleges that offer
apprenticeship programs, up 100% from 18 in 2014, with a more diversified portfolio of
faculties. The number of faculties in those universities also doubled to a total of 264,
compared to 132 in 2014. Private academies rose 9% between 2014 and 2021, reaching a
total of 172.
The number of public universities jumped from 23 to 27 between 2014 and 2021,
marking a 17.4% increase. These universities boast 494 faculties, increasing by 26%
between 2014 and 2021. There are also 188 programs in public universities, up by
almost 60% from 118 in 2014. University hospitals also increased by 30%, reaching 115
in total in 2021.
That’s being reflected in our public spending: The ministry’s budget increased
160% between 2014 and 2021, reaching a total of EGP 65 bn, compared to EGP 25 bn six
years ago. The government will invest more in the coming fiscal year, with the state
public investment plan aiming to complete the construction of three public universities,
setting up 12 new non-profit private universities and operating nine digital ones.
We’re also seeing diversity in what’s being taught in universities: Today, there are
several faculties and specializations that cater to the workforce of tomorrow. For
instance, you can now study motorsports engineering and computer games development
at the European Universities in Egypt (EUE); nuclear power stations engineering at the
Egyptian Russian University (ERU); and ethical hacking and cyber security at The
Knowledge Hub Universities (TKH).
Case in point: The number of faculties and programs accredited by the National
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA) jumped 300% to 186 this year,
compared to a paltry 46 back in 2014, according to the figures.
More enrolled students mean more need for faculty members: Over 126k faculty
members and teaching assistants are currently working at universities in Egypt, which is
almost 19% more than the 106k in 2014.
And growing programs produce an increasing number of academic papers: The
amount of published scientific research papers doubled within six years, reaching 31.7k
papers in 2021. The Spain-based SCImago Journal Rank says that the number is even
higher, noting over 32k published papers in 2020, with Egypt ranking 30th worldwide.
Ultimately, Egypt jumped seven ranks since 2014 in terms of number of published and
cited scientific papers between 2014 and 2021. The country ranked 37th in 2014,
publishing over 15k papers.
Looking ahead: We can expect more international universities and variety in the
types of degrees being offered. On the universities front, four new Canadian universities
that had requested to open branches in Egypt as of July 2020 are set to bring in
investments reaching EGP 3 bn. Moreover, the ministry has already embedded online
learning into some of the new degrees it’s offering in partnership with international
universities, Mohamed El Shinnawi, an advisor to the Higher Education Minister,
previously told us, and we may be seeing full-on online degrees soon, as Egypt is
finalizing its online degree regulations.
Egypt’s relevant history
Modern education was introduced under the auspices of Ottoman Pasha
Muhammad Ali who reigned 1805–1848. He started a dual system of education at the
time: one serving the message attending traditional schools and another called Madrasa
for the elite civil servants. Ali Pasha sent two organized student missions to study in
Paris. French involvement in Egyptian education was not initially a government project,
but rather evolved to become a government project by the end of the Pasha's rule.
During the period of British rule in Egypt, the educational system remained
neglected by the colonial government. In Egypt, Cromer reduced the budget for
education, closed many of the specialized postsecondary institutions, and refocused the
curriculum on vocational topics. Tuition fees were introduced, which reduced the
availability for most Egyptians to attend school. These measures were reduced after he
left Egypt and retired in 1907.
Egypt has a very extensive higher education system. About 30% of all Egyptians
in the relevant age group go to university. However, only half of them graduate.
There are a number of universities catering to students in diverse fields. In the
current education system, there are 17 public universities, 51 public non-university
institutions, 26 private universities and 89 private higher institutions. Out of the 51 non
–university institutions, 47 are two-year middle technical institutes (MTIs) and four are
4–5 years higher technical institutes’. The higher education cohort is expected to
increase by close to 12 percent (135,000) students per annum through 2022.
In 1990, a legislation was passed to provide greater autonomy to the universities.
But still the education infrastructure, equipment and human resources are not in place
to cater to the rising higher education students. Gross enrollment in tertiary education
increased from 27 percent in 2003 to 31 percent in 2005. But there has not been a
similar increase in spending on improving the higher education system in terms of
introduction of new programs and technologies. Both at national level (inspection
systems, examinations) and at local level (school level student assessments).
The Egyptian tertiary education is steered by a centralized system with
institutions having little control on the decisions of the curriculum, program
development and deployment of staff and faculty. Improving system governance and
efficiency is an imperative that takes on added urgency given that a significant
population bulge has reached the higher education system. The actual number of
students entering higher education grew by 18 percent per year between 1992/93 and
1997/98. The consequence was a sharp decline in per student spending of around 40
percent in real terms over that period. The higher education cohort is projected to
continue to increase by close to 6 percent (60,000 students) per annum through 2009.
This means that significant efficiencies will need to be introduced into the
system just to maintain quality at its current inadequate level. The performance and
quality of higher education is currently severely compromised by overly centralized
order to improve the already outdated system, rigid curriculum and teaching practices.
Improving system governance and efficiency is an imperative that takes on added
urgency given that a significant population bulge has reached the higher education
system. The actual number of students entering higher education grew by 17 percent per
year between 1992/93 and 1997/98. The consequence was a sharp decline in per student
spending of around 40 percent in real terms over that period. The higher education
cohort is projected to continue to increase by close to 6 percent (60,000 students) per
annum through 2009. This means that significant efficiencies will need to be introduced
into the system just to maintain quality at its current inadequate level.
The Government of Egypt recognizes that there are real challenges to be faced in
the sector, foremost amongst which are the need to significantly improve sector
governance and efficiency, increase institutional autonomy, significantly improve the
quality and relevance of higher education programs, and maintain coverage at existing
levels. Recent Government actions to build political consensus on issues critical to
reform have created a climate that is ripe for change. The Ministry of Higher Education
(MOHE) acts as a champion for reform. The Minister, appointed in 1997, quickly
established a committee for the reform of higher education (known as the HEEP
Committee) which drew in a wide range of stakeholders including industrialists and
parliamentarians. A National Conference on higher education reform was held in
February 2000, and a Declaration for action emanating from the Conference was
endorsed by the President and the Prime Minister. The Declaration identified 25 specific
reform initiatives. The Bank agrees with, and supports, the Declaration. A range of
multilateral and bilateral agencies, including the World Bank, also concur with the
Declaration's proposals, and are committed to supporting various aspects of the reform
process.
The Government's Higher Education Reform Strategy Egyptian higher education
reform strategy included 25 projects addressing all the reform domains, is implemented
over three phases until 2017, and corresponds to the government's five-year plans as
follows:
Priority has been given to 12 projects in the first phase of implementation (2002–
2007) and were integrated into the following six projects: HEEP Six Priority Projects
(2002–2007)
ü Higher Education Enhancement Project Fund (HEEPF),
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
Information and Communications Technology Project (ICTP),
Egyptian Technical Colleges Project (ETCP),
Faculty of Education Project (FOEP),
Faculty Leaders Development Project (FLDP),
Quality Assurance and Accreditation Project (QAAP).
In August 2004, HEEP strategic priorities were adjusted to become responsive to
the requirements of quality and accreditation and to correspond to the government's
approach to improving scientific research. The adjustment added two more dimensions:
first, developing post graduate studies and scientific research and second, addressing
students’ extra-curricular activities in addition to the continued implementation of the
six prioritized programs during the first phase. Due to the dynamic nature of the reform
strategy, which entails reconsidering priorities for each period, a Strategic Planning Unit
(SPU) was established for the MOHE to ensure the sustainability of planning and
project monitoring during the three phases and for future ones. A Students’ Activity
Project (SAP) was also initiated as part of program accreditation similar to scientific
research and post graduate studies. There are both private and public institutions of
higher education in Egypt. Public higher education is free in Egypt, and Egyptian
students only pay registration fees. Private education is much more expensive.
International education
As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Egypt as
having 184 international schools. ISC defines an 'international school' in the following
terms "ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any
combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English
outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of
the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country's
national curriculum and is international in its orientation." This definition is used by
publications including The Economist.
Social Institutions:
Family,
Family is a very important part of life for Egyptian people and a significant
component of Egyptian society. As Egypt is a largely collectivist society, the needs of
one’s family or community typically take precedence over one’s personal needs or
desires. Kinship plays an important role in social relations, and the general perception is
that the individual is subordinate to the family. The family consists of both the nuclear
unit and the extended family. Given the emphasis placed on traditional family values
such as loyalty to the extended family network, communal living and sharing are widely
prevalent in Egyptian culture.
Families tend to be close to one another, both emotionally and physically. It is the
norm for Egyptians to live with their extended family and often one will find three
generations living together. Moreover, grown-up unmarried children (often the eldest
son or daughter) tend to stay with their parents until they marry. On occasion, the son
will stay with his parents to fulfil his obligation to care for his parents as they age.
Newlywed women tend to leave their parents’ home to live with in-laws. Even when
family members don’t live in close proximity, extensive kin ties are maintained through
frequent family gatherings.
Political System
Egypt has operated under several constitutions, both as a monarchy and, after
1952, as a republic. The first and most liberal of these was the 1923 constitution, which
was promulgated just after Britain declared Egypt’s independence. That document laid
the political and cultural groundwork for modern Egypt, declaring it an independent
sovereign Islamic state with Arabic as its language.
The vote was extended to all adult males. This constitution provided for a
bicameral parliament, an independent judiciary, and a strong executive in the form of
the king. In 1930 this constitution was replaced by another one, which gave even more
powers to the king and his ministers. Following vigorous protest, it was abrogated five
years later. The 1923 constitution again came into force but was permanently abolished
after the revolution in 1952. The Republic of Egypt was declared in 1953.
The new ruling junta—led by a charismatic army officer, Gamal Abdel Nasser—
abolished all political parties, which had operated with relative freedom under the
monarchy, and a new constitution, in which women were granted the franchise, was
introduced in 1956. To replace the abolished political parties, the regime formed the
National Union in 1957—from 1962 the Arab Socialist Union (ASU)—which dominated
political life in Egypt for the next 15 years. An interim constitution was promulgated in
1964.
Now the politics of Egypt are based on republicanism, with a semi-presidential
system of government. The current political system was established following the
Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. In the
current system, the President is elected for a six-year term, where they are able to appoint
up to 5 percent of the parliament. Furthermore, the President has the power to dissolve
Parliament through Article 137. The Parliament of Egypt is the oldest legislative chamber
in Africa and the Middle East. The unicameral Parliament has the ability to impeach the
President through Article 161. With 2020 elections to the new Senate, the chamber
became bicameral.
Legal System
The Egyptian legal system is built on the combination of Islamic (Shariah) law
and Napoleonic Code, which was first introduced during Napoleon Bonaparte’s
occupation of Egypt in 1798 and the subsequent education and training of Egyptian
jurists in France.
The Egyptian legal system, being considered as a civil law system, is based upon a
well-established system of codified laws. Egypt’s supreme law is its written constitution.
With respect to transactions between natural persons or legal entities, the most
important legislation is the Egyptian Civil Code of 1948 (the “ECC”), which remains the
main source of legal rules applicable to contracts. Much of the ECC is based upon the
French Civil Code and, to a lesser extent, upon various other European codes and upon
Islamic (Shariah) law, especially in the context of personal status.
Despite the non-existence of an established system of legally (de jure) binding
precedents, judicial decisions do have persuasive authority. Courts are morally and
practically expected to uphold the principles and judgments of the Court of Cassation
for civil, commercial, and criminal matters, and the Supreme Administrative Court for
administrative and other public law matters.
It is worth noting that the classical dichotomy of public and private law has
resulted in the crystallization of a separate set of legal rules applicable to transactions
involving the State (or any of its institutions, subsidiaries, or state-owned enterprises)
acting as a sovereign power. This entailed the establishment of the Egyptian Council of
State (Conseil d'Etat) by virtue of Law No.112 of 1946 as amended by Law No. 9 of 1949,
which consists of administrative courts vested with the power to decide over
administrative disputes pertaining to administrative contracts and administrative
decrees issued by government officials. These courts apply administrative legal rules,
which are not entirely codified; hence, because often no applicable legislative rules exist,
the scope of judicial discretion is ample in light of the established principles laid by the
supreme courts.
Social Organizations
In 2021 Egypt remained under the social, political, and cultural dominance of an
elite, a pattern it has retained since pharaonic times. Although the personal, ideological
orientation, and cultural values of the ruling class changed drastically after the 1952
Revolution, the gulf between the urban elite and the popular masses remained large. A
group called the Free Officers came to power in 1952. The group, which included people
such as Gamal Abdul Nasser (former president of Egypt), Anwar as Sadat (also former
president of Egypt), and Husni Mubarak (also former current president of Egypt),
played an instrumental role in carrying out the 1952 Revolution. The Free Officers,
along with their civilian allies, comprised a strongly nationalistic cadre who believed the
former ruling class had betrayed the country's welfare to foreign interests. The Free
Officers, many of whom were not from the top social classes, altered the country's
structure of wealth and power. But according to some scholars, the Free Officers'
policies merely changed the membership of the elite rather than causing its demise.
The prerevolutionary elite rose to their position of power through the country's
entry into the world agricultural commodity market in the nineteenth century. The
upper classes consisted of the royal family, absentee landlords, professionals, and
business people (merchants, financiers, and a few industrialists). A disproportionately
large number of foreigners belonged to the elite groups in Cairo and Alexandria.
Opportunities for social mobility changed in response to the transformation of the
country's economy. A prosperous landowning family, for example, might choose to
secure its status by sending one son to Al Azhar University for a career in religion and
another to one of the newly established secular universities while encouraging still
another to manage the family's estates.
The civil bureaucracy established by Muhammad Ali (1805-49) and elaborated
under British hegemony provided a career for sons of middle- and upper middle-class
families. It gave employment to the growing number of Egyptian professionals (mostly
lawyers, doctors, and engineers) and fueled the expansion of secular education. The
government bureaucracy employed the sons of landlords, of prosperous farmers, and of
civil servants themselves.
Despite the major social changes in Egypt between 1800 and 1950, the upperclass elite continued to dominate politics in the country. The educated middle class
increasingly resented the elite's control of government. This resentment was particularly
strong among military officers because their middle-class origins impeded their
advancement to the top decision-making ranks. Among these military officers were the
Free Officers.
Business Customs and Practices
Ø In Egyptian business culture, networks tend to be more important than expertise.
Network building and cultivating a number of contacts is considered important and
nepotism is viewed positively.
Ø It is common for people to bend rules and put different interpretations on
regulations in order to get around business constraints. While Australians may be
uncomfortable with this, some Egyptians may consider it to be efficient and common
sense.
Ø Egyptians tend to prefer doing business with those they are familiar with and
respect. Thus, one can expect that a considerable amount of time will be spent on
developing a relationship before business is conducted.
Ø Age and experience are also considered important, particularly in the government.
Ø Regardless of their skills and competency, older people tend to fill most of the
supervisory and leadership positions.
Ø Since age and experience are highly regarded, it is advisable to include older people
with impressive titles in your team.
Ø Business cards tend to be given without a formal ritual.
Ø It is likely that your Egyptian business counterpart will offer you coffee or tea as an
act of hospitality. Always accept the beverage, even if you do not drink what is
offered. Declining the offer is often viewed as rejecting the person.
Ø Wearing good quality conservative clothing is highly regarded in Egyptian business
culture. To make a good impression, be sure to present yourself neatly at all times.
Ø Egyptians tend not to appreciate confrontation and avoid saying a direct ‘no’. If they
do not respond to a proposal, it is usually a negative sign (see Communication for
more information).
Ø On the Corruption Perception Index (2017), Egypt ranks 117th out of 180 countries,
receiving a score of 32 (on a scale from 0 to 100). This perception suggests that the
country’s public sector is somewhat corrupt.
Living Conditions:
Diet and Nutrition,
Egyptian cuisine is notably conducive to vegetarian diets, as it relies heavily on
legume and vegetable dishes. Though food in Alexandria and the coast of Egypt tends to
use a great deal of fish and other seafood, for the most part Egyptian cuisine is based on
foods that grow out of the ground.
Egypt's Red Sea ports were the main points of entry for spices to Europe. Easy
access to various spices has, throughout the years, left its mark on Egyptian cuisine.
Cumin is the most commonly used spice. Other common spices include coriander,
cardamom, chili, aniseed, bay leaves, dill, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, mint and cloves.
Common meats featured in Egyptian cuisine are pigeon, chicken and duck. These
are often boiled to make the broth for various stews and soups. Lamb and beef are the
most common meats used for grilling. Grilled meats such as kofta (‫)ﻛﻔﺘﺔ‬, kabab (‫ )ﻛﺒﺎب‬and
grilled cutlets are categorically referred to as mashwiyat (‫)ﻣﺸﻮﯾﺎت‬.
Offal, variety meats, is popular in Egypt. Liver sandwiches, a specialty of
Alexandria, are a popular fast-food in cities. Chopped-up pieces of liver fried with bell
peppers, chili, garlic, cumin and other spices are served in a baguette-like bread called
eish fino. Cow and sheep brain are eaten in Egypt.
Foie gras, a well-known delicacy, is still enjoyed today by Egyptians. Its flavor is
described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver.
Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté, and may also be
served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. The technique involves
gavage, cramming food into the throat of domesticated ducks and geese, and dates as far
back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food.
Housing
Egypt has faced a serious urban housing shortage since World War II. The
situation subsequently became aggravated by increased migration from rural to urban
areas, resulting in extreme urban overcrowding. Although there is considerable concern
over the housing problem, the combined efforts of both public and private sectors have
struggled to meet the growing demand. Nearly three-fifths of all private investment
went into residential construction during the mid-1980s. In the late 1990s, enormous
resources were devoted to improving hundreds of identified slums, and nearly a score of
new development areas and cities were constructed. Confounding the problem,
however, was the increase in the urban population, estimated at more than two-fifths
during the same period. In 2004 the available housing amounted to roughly a quarter
million units, but the demand continued greatly to exceed that supply. Furthermore,
many units remained vacant because they were overpriced or subject to assorted legal
restrictions and other bureaucratic obstacles.
In the rural areas villagers build their own houses at little cost with the materials
available; however, local contractors are forbidden by law from converting valuable
topsoil into bricks. The government has experimented in aiding self-help projects with
state loans. Ambitious rural housing projects have been carried out on newly reclaimed
land; entire villages with all the necessary utilities have been built.
Clothing,
When most people hear the words “traditional Egyptian clothing”, they go back to the
days of the Pharaohs and the linen wrap-around garments. However, nowadays, the folk
dress of modern Egypt could not be any more different than that of Ancient Egyptian
clothing. For instance, since the 16th century, Egyptians have had a propensity to
thoroughly cover nearly every part of their bodies. Locals embraced many clothing
characteristics of the Ottoman Turks, Europeans, and other surrounding Muslim
countries. So, as we take a look at modern Egyptian traditional clothing, we can forget
about the old Pharaoh clothing. (And who knows, maybe you’ll learn Egyptian Arabic, or
at least a little of it, along the way.)
At the base of the Egyptian man’s traditional folk outfit is the galabiya (or
jalabeya in some Arabic dialects). They can wear it alone or with trousers, a headdress,
shoes, and one or more other outer garments.
The galabiya has long narrows sleeves and a triangular neckline. However, there
is also another version: the kamis (or gamis, again in some local Arabic dialects). It is
wider with even wider sleeves and mostly worn by Egyptian farmers, or fellahin in the
Egyptian dialect.
An optional choice is to wear traditional Egyptian pants (sserual) under the
galabiya and overtop a kaftan. The kaftan is a long, coat-like, garment with stripes, from
half-silk, cotton, satin, brocade, or the like. It has long, wide sleeves, in front with a sash
known as a hizan.
In different areas of the country, you can find various other outer garments
people wear over the kaftan. For example, the binish, a dark fabric overcoat with wide
sleeves and simple cut. There’s also the djubbeh, an overcoat with long sleeves and more
intricately designed than the binish. Also, there is the jubbah, a long wide-sleeved
overcoat with buttons only halfway down the front. Although the descriptions of each of
these sounds very similar, each one certainly has its own unique features.
To top all of this off are three main types of headgear Egyptian men traditionally
wear. They usually have the purpose of protecting their heads from the hot sun and sand
or other adverse weather. It has a skullcap, a tarboosh, and a turban. The skullcap (or
taqiyah) is a small, round cotton cap often under a tarboosh – a red, cylindrical,
brimless fez-like cap – or turban.
As for woman they wear multi-layered, light and loose clothing is the preference of
Egyptian women. Since most of them are Muslims, they tend to cover their entire bodies
from head to toe. The traditional female outfit in Egypt is the feminine version of
galabiya: the gallebaya. Women wear it with baggy trousers used as an undergarment,
several layers of outerwear, a headdress, and shoes.
The gallebaya is an ankle-length robe with long sleeves. The women who live in
rural areas wear it as their primary garment. In the cities, however, women only wear
gallebaya inside the house or as an undergarment. For outside wear, Egyptian women
wear a tob sebleh which is basically a light and loose cotton dress. Additionally, in the
big cities of Alexandria and Cairo, women sometimes wear a melaya luf, a large wrap
with the purpose of covering up their body, for warmth, and to carry things.
Underneath their robes, women in Egypt wear thin, cotton, baggy pants: the
tshalvar or shintijan. These are tied at the ankle.
Female outerwear includes several garments. For example, there is the yelek, a
tighter-fitting, longer-sleeved version of the male kaftan. Women always wear it over the
gallebaya and tshalvar or shintijan. It has an open neck with buttons down from the
bosom to the waist. The hem of the garment has slits on both sides.
Over the yelek, Egyptian women traditionally wear overcoats called binnish or
djubbeh. These are similar to the binish and the djubbeh that men traditionally wear.
However, the ladies’ versions are more delicate and feature a more feminine design.
Sports and other Leisure activities
Besides all kinds of other watersports and some swanky golf courses, Egypt offers
horse- and camel-riding, trekking, jeep safaris and hot-air ballooning, but for Egyptians
the only sport that counts is football (soccer) – a national obsession.
Diving and watersports
The fantastic coral reefs and tropical fish of the Red Sea are the bedrock of
tourism from Sinai to Marsa Alam, while the Mediterranean coastline has sunken
wrecks and ancient ruins to explore. All this makes Egypt an excellent place to go diving,
on a package holiday or through local dive centres. Many people learn to dive here,
gaining a PADI, BSAC or CMAS certificate. The initial step is a five-day PADI Open
Water course, costing around €200–350/$250–425 including equipment, plus about
€35/$45 for the certificate if it isn’t included. You progress from classroom theory to
dives in the hotel swimming pool or from the shore, finishing with a few boat dives.
Most centres offer a supervised introductory dive (around €35–70/$42–85) for those
uncertain about shelling out for a full course. Kids aged 8–10 can try the PADI “Bubble
Maker” course (€50/$65), which includes a short dive close to the shore. Qualified
divers can progress through advanced open-water, dive master and instructor
certification, and take specialized courses in night or wreck diving. Note that if you’re
certified but haven’t logged a dive in the past three months, you might have to take a
“check dive” before you can go on a sea trip.
Boat trips to dive sites usually include tanks and weights; lunch on the boat may
cost about £E50 extra. Dive packages can be a good deal, costing around €260/$340 for
a five-day package (ten dives), with discounts sometimes available for advance or online
bookings. Liveaboards (safari boats) allow you to spend days or weeks at sea, cruising
dive sites and shipwrecks. This can work out cheaper than a hotel and dive package,
averaging around €100/$130 per person per day, including full board; where equipment
rental isn’t covered, expect to pay an extra €25/$33 per day. Most are pre-booked by
groups, who may not welcome people joining them at the last moment, so it’s better
(and cheaper) to buy a package deal at home, though during quiet periods vacant berths
might be found by asking around boats in marinas.
Anybody who can swim can snorkel. Due to its coastal reefs, Sinai (especially
Na’ama Bay) offers better snorkelling than further down the Red Sea, where most coral
is on islands. Masks and flippers may be rented at any resort, and many also offer
windsurfing and kiteboarding (notably Ras Sudr and Dahab), yachting (Hurghada),
waterskiing and parasailing (also at Almaza Bay on the Mediterranean coast).
While a few resorts offer shark-fishing, Egypt is chiefly renowned for angling on
Lake Nasser, the vast reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam, which teems with massive
Nile perch, carp and tilapia. Fishing trips can be arranged in Aswan or abroad.
Riding, trekking and jeep safaris
Around the Pyramids and the major Nile sites, donkeys, horses and camels are all
available for hire. Horses are fun if you want to ride across stretches of sand between the
Pyramids or in the Sinai desert. Donkeys are best used for visiting the Theban
Necropolis, where they traverse mountains that you’d never cross on foot, and enliven
the trip no end. Elsewhere they have less appeal, but you might rent a caretta (donkeydrawn taxi cart) to explore the pools and ruins in Siwa Oasis.
Camels (the dromedary, or one-humped Arabian camel) make for rigorous but
exhilarating riding, and you’ll probably want to try them at least once. They are good for
short rides around Aswan, but really come into their own in Sinai or the Western Desert
oases, where you can go trekking up wadis or across dunes that horses could never cope
with. Trips – lasting anything from a half-day to a week – are easily arranged with local
operators, or as part of “adventure holiday” packages from home.
If you’ve never ridden a camel before, try a half-day excursion before committing
to a longer trip. Even a few hours in the saddle can leave you with aches in muscles that
you never knew existed, so it’s advisable to alternate between walking and riding. The
mounting is done for you but be sure to hold on to the pommel of the saddle as the
camel raises itself in a triple-jerk manoeuvre. Once on, you have a choice of riding it like
a horse or cocking a leg around the pommel, as the Bedouin do, in which case you
should use a lot of padding around the pommel to avoid soreness. It’s easy to get the
hang of steering: pull firmly and gradually on the nose rope to change direction; a camel
should stop if you turn its head to face sideways.
Trekking on foot requires more stamina, especially in the High Mountain Region
of Sinai. The ideal number of trekkers is three to five people; larger groups travel more
slowly. You’ll need comfortable hiking boots, warm clothes, a sleeping bag, sunglasses,
sunscreen, lip salve, bug repellent and toilet paper. In the Western Desert, your baggage
may be transported by camel or jeep (in which case blankets are provided).
Jeep safaris are the best way to experience the oases, from an overnight stay in
the White Desert or the Great Sand Sea to a deep-desert expedition to the Gilf Kebir.
Golf and hot-air ballooning
There are golf courses around Cairo (one within sight of the Pyramids), as well as at
Sharm el-Sheikh, Soma Bay, El Gouna and Luxor. From October to May, visitors to
Luxor can enjoy the thrill of drifting above the temples and tombs of the Theban
Necropolis in a hot-air balloon.
Football
The only sport screened on Egyptian television, football transfixes the nation during
international and premier matches. The national team won the African Nations’ Cup in
1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and the two rival Cairo clubs, Ahly and Zamalek,
have long dominated the domestic league, and regularly win African club competitions.
Clashes between them can be intense – and have occasionally led to rioting – but games
are in general relaxed: Cairo Stadium is the main venue. As well as the big two, other
teams include Ismaily (from Ismailiya), Masry (Port Said) and Al Ittihad (Alexandria),
while in recent years a new wave of corporate-sponsored teams such as Petrojet and
ENPPI have also muscled their way into the premier league.
Should their team win, thousands of supporters drive around Cairo honking
horns and waving flags attached to lances – beware of being run over or impaled.
Language(s)
Modern Standard Arabic
Egypt’s official language is Modern Standard Arabic, which is used in most
written documents and schools.
However, Modern Standard Arabic mostly describes the literary form of Arabic,
which is actually a macrolanguage composed of multiple distinct vernacular dialects. In
other words, it’s the written standard for a group of similar dialects that are, for the
most part, mutually intelligible.
Modern Standard Arabic came from Classical (medieval) Arabic, and it has a
grammar and syntax that’s remained largely fixed since the 7th century. However, some
elements of its style and phrasing have shifted over time, in some part thanks to English
and French influence.
Many Shades of Spoken Arabic
Despite the fact that it lacks official status, Egyptian Arabic (a spoken variant of
the macrolanguage) is actually the most commonly spoken language in Egypt and is
considered the de facto national language. Its current form is a mixture of Arabic,
Coptic, Turkish, Ottoman, French and Italian influences. If you visit Egypt, you’ll likely
encounter Egyptian Arabic in advertising, films and newspapers, as well as spoken
colloquially on the streets.
Arabic first came to Egypt during the Arab occupation of the 7th century, and it
blended with existing local Semitic languages like Syriac, Berber and Assyrian, creating
the basis for some of the other types of Arabic spoken in Egypt today.
Other common spoken Arabic variants used throughout the country include
Sa’idi Arabic (spoken mostly near the Sudanese border by rural populations), Sudanese
Arabic (spoken mostly by Sudanese immigrants), North Levantine, Ta’izzi-Adeni,
Algerian, Gulf and Moroccan, among others.
Some of these vernaculars can be quite different, depending on the historical and
geographical factors that gave rise to them. The dialect spoken in Cairo, for instance, has
been influenced by the city’s status as an international hub where foreigners mix with
locals.
Other Languages
According to Ethnologue, there are 16 individual living languages spoken in
Egypt. Among these: the Nobiin language of the Nubian people, the Bedawi language
(spoken mainly by the Bedouin people), Mattokki and Siwi. Egypt also has its own sign
language.
There are also a number of immigrant languages spoken in Egypt, including Adyghe,
Amharic, Greek, Armenian and Italian. Additionally, educated Egyptians tend to speak
English and/or French as second languages. There are more than 3 million French
speakers in Egypt.
Cultural Values
If we explore the Egyptian culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can
get a good overview of the deep drivers of its culture relative to other world cultures.
POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal –
it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power
Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and
organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
Egypt scores high on this dimension (score of 100) which means that people
accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further
justification. Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities,
centralization is popular, subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is
a benevolent autocrat
INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of
interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether
people´s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist societies people
are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist
societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.
Egypt, with a score of 35 is considered a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a
close long-term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family,
or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides
most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where
everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivist societies
offence leads to shame and loss of face, employer/employee relationships are perceived
in moral terms (like a family link), hiring and promotion decisions take account of the
employee’s in-group, management is the management of groups.
MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be
driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the
winner / best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout
organizational life.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in
society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality
of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The
fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or
liking what you do (Feminine).
Egypt scores 55 on this dimension, reflecting the presence of slightly more
Masculine than Feminine elements, making it more success-oriented and driven.
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals
with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or
just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have
learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which the members of a
culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs
and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty
Avoidance.
Egypt scores 55 on this dimension and thus has a slight preference for avoiding
uncertainty. Countries exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain rigid codes of
belief and behavior and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. In these
cultures, there is an emotional need for rules (even if the rules never seem to work) time
is money, people have an inner urge to be busy and work hard, precision and
punctuality are the norm, innovation may be resisted, security is an important element
in individual motivation.
LONG TERM ORIENTATION
This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its
own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies
priorities these two existential goals differently. Normative societies. which score low on
this dimension, for example, prefer to maintain time-honored traditions and norms
while viewing societal change with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high, on
the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in
modern education as a way to prepare for the future.
Egypt’s score of 42 indicates that its culture is somewhat normative. People in
such societies have a concern with establishing the absolute Truth; they are normative in
their thinking. They exhibit respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save
for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results.
INDULGENCE
One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to
which small children are socialized. Without socialization we do not become “human”.
This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and
impulses, based on the way they were raised. Relatively weak control is called
“Indulgence” and relatively strong control is called “Restraint”. Cultures can, therefore,
be described as Indulgent or Restrained.
With a very low score of 0, Egypt is shown to be a very Restrained country.
Societies with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism.
Also, in contrast to Indulgent societies, Restrained societies do not put much emphasis
on leisure time and control the gratification of their desires. People with this orientation
have the perception that their actions are Restrained by social norms and feel that
indulging themselves is somewhat wrong.
SWOT
STRENGTHS
After finishing the analysis, the team concluded to the following points of strength,
being most characteristic to the College status.
Performance of Professors and Teaching Assistants
In all surveys conducted, across all constituents, the academic performance of both
professors and teaching assistants was indicated as one of the major strengths in the
College. The competence of the academic staff ensures that teaching is performed at the
highest level possible and allowing close interaction among faculty and students. Arab
Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport College of Engineering and
Technology
Diversity of Qualifications of Faculty Members
The diversity of qualification of faculty members in the College is one of our main
strengths. AAST faculty members have completed their postgraduate studies at top
universities all over Europe, North America and top-notch universities in Egypt. There
is also a small, but not insignificant, number of faculty members who join our college
from industry. This wide diversity of qualifications ensures that the teaching process
and research is a varied and enriching experience in the College.
ElAlamine Campus Location
The campus location within the metropolitan area of new ElAlamine city, is another
strength of the College. Being located in one of the newest most modern cities in Egypt,
the Middle-east and Africa; the College can benefit from a lot of potential credentials
associated with this distinguished site. As a new city meant to serve as second capital,
ElAlamine is the host for many central administrative bodies.
The infra-structure and transportation facilities promote domestic and international
interaction with different academic and professional entities. This comes in contrast to
the location of competing private institutions that tend to be located the city of Cairo,
leading to transportation problems, long commutes and few amenities in the
neighborhood of their campuses. By contrast, the location of the ElAlamine campus is
easily accessible from all major residential areas of the city, and is surrounded by typical
metropolitan amenities.
Advanced Laboratories
The quality of laboratories in our college is another strength that is unique to our
institution. The labs are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, to involve students
in direct application, hence accomplish practical experience parallel with the taught
theories. Our labs are subject to constant upgrading and maintenance to remain in
efficient shape.
Quality of Academic Curricula
Constituents have consistently identified the quality of our curricula, with its emphasis
on state-of-the-art technologies and its coverage of the principles of engineering, as one
of our major points of strength. The quality of our curricula allows us to graduate
engineers who are well-equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Interactivity of Teaching Process
This is perhaps a direct consequence of two other strengths of the College, i.e. the
reasonable class sizes and the academic performance of our faculty members. Students
have consistently identified the interactivity they experience in their learning process as
one of the features they particularly like about the College. This interactivity allows
students and faculty members to develop better interpersonal skills, which positively
reflects on the overall educational process.
Integrated Facilities
Under this title, participants referred to on-site banking facility as well as a variety of
food serving outlets. The bank branch located in the Cairo campus is dedicated to paying
tuition fees by students as well as paying salaries to the College employees. The
particularity of this branch partly emerges from belonging to the NSGB bank, being a
modern amenity with friendly service and branches all-over Egypt. On the other hand,
the various on-site cafeterias and food kiosks have been identified as an interesting
feature in the College, particularly those belonging to well-known franchises which can
provide quality services without having to leave campus.
International Validation of the College Programs
All college programs are locally and internationally accredited. Such encounter with
high profile institutions assures us in the first place, as well as others that the quality of
education we are providing is up to the international standards AAST aspire for.
Financial Support to Students
The College pays special attention to a wide spectrum of social and academic
cases. Distinguished students receive scholarships. Others who experience financial
difficulties due to the loss of parents are fully exempted from the tuition fee. Even
postgraduate students who study abroad receive a grant for the completion of their
study. This extends healthy relationships amongst the College community, which are
based on competition, solidarity and support.
WEAKNESSES
In a similar fashion, the following points of weakness were concluded, being most
challenging to the development of the College.
Internet Service
Most constituents have identified the Internet service provided in the College, both
wired and wireless, as a weakness. This is due to many factors, mainly the intermittent
nature of the service, the slow speed during peak hours and the fact that many
collaborative services, which can be of direct benefit to research activities, are blocked
using web-filters.
Proportion of Full-time to Part-time Faculty Members
The balance between fulltime to part-time faculty members has been identified as an
added weakness. At present, part-time faculty members are significantly outnumbering
their full-time counterparts. This places an added burden on top of the responsibilities
of fulltime faculty members, particularly in terms of administrative work.
Research Promotion
Despite the fact that the College undertakes a decentralized scheme for funding
conference participation, members of the academic staff suggest that this budget needs
to be significantly increased, to promote further encounter with the scientific
community around the world. On the other hand, the absence of clear policy for
managing, promoting and funding research projects seemed to be another weakness.
Developing Staff Skills
the significance of continuous staff development as a cornerstone for the development of
the College. They suggested that the training courses offered by the college were both
quantitatively and qualitatively dissatisfactory. A yearly plan needs to be developed to
improve the number of courses held as well as the quality of the material they address to
promote favorable career development.
Salary Scale
Among the constituents surveyed, a majority of menial and administrative staff
identified inadequacies of monthly income as a weakness in the College of Engineering.
A small, but significant, minority of academic staff also identified this issue as a
weakness. It should be noted that before the proliferation of private universities in
Cairo, the compensation packages offered by the College were significantly higher than
most other educational institutions. This is probably an exemplification of lacking
regular reviews of employees’ salary plans.
However, with the proliferation of private universities, monthly incomes have become
competitive with, but no longer significantly larger than, the compensation packages of
our college.
Social Activities for Staff and Faculty
The lack of regular and inclusive social activities among faculty and staff has also been
identified as a weakness by most constituents. It is known that this kind of activities has
a direct impact upon academic, institutional and personal interrelationships within the
College.
Fundraising
At present, the College budget is solely dependent on students’ tuition fees. It is
important that the College adopts fundraising programs and joint projects with the
industry to generate parallel resources, which would contribute to funding all
educational, research and development expenditure. This applies to student projects,
postgraduate scholarships or even professional consultancies.
OPPORTUNITIES
The aspects hereunder were most frequently viewed to as opportunities which can
improve the College status if well-exploited.
The Affiliation of the AASTMT to the Arab League
AASTMT, and consequently the College, are affiliated to the League of Arab States as a
specialized organization in education, research and consultancy. The College must make
the best potential use of this opportunity towards facilitating more advantageous status
for its students and staff. This may be accomplished by developing further agreements
and protocols with different Arab and international bodies, using the organization’s
affiliation.
College Relationships with Business and Industrial Communities
Despite ElAlamine being the host city of the College, AAST have connections with a vast
array of local and international business corporations. Moreover, its surrounding
industrial zones set an added value in this regard. These potentials can be utilized
towards extending agreements and memoranda of understanding with the surrounding
industrial community. This community can contribute to students’ training, graduates’
employment, updating the College’s policies and strategies, and other channels of
cooperation. Also, the relationship between faculty members and company boards is an
opportunity for recruiting faculty members from industrial backgrounds as well as
having faculty members do sabbaticals in the industry for the mutual benefits of both
parties.
Regional and International Agreements
Being a pioneering non-profit organization in the region, the College of
Engineering has a unique opportunity to extend diverse agreements with local, regional
and international organizations. These agreements can address the academic purposes,
research activities as well as the technical consultations which may be delivered various
partners around the world.
International Student Recruitment and Exchange Programs
The AASTMT profile is quite rich with numerous distinguished graduates who
occupy leading positions in the Arab countries. More recently, the College has extended
collaboration channels with African partners. The early signs are very encouraging.
Therefore, the College needs to foster such links with the neighboring Arab countries,
and seek new opportunities for recruiting more students from other African countries.
Nevertheless, developing exchange programs can set an effective medium for exposure
to our students and faculty, to exchange diversified experiences with other parts of the
world.
Qualitative Development of Educational Programs
Quantitative measures have always set an easy approach to evaluate the
development of an institution. In the past years, the College has accomplished a
distinguished success in this regard. More recently, AAST started to employ this
quantitative success towards seeking more qualitative distinctiveness. This was
confirmed by the world-class accreditations the programs have received. Yet, AAST are
keen to maintain and develop these standards to keep-up with the top-quality education
AAST seek. However, AAST believe that there is an opportunity to make use of this in
more selective students’ acceptance policies, scholarship schemes, faculty recruitment,
and research opportunities.
Interdisciplinary Programs
There is a worldwide tendency towards multi-disciplinary research. With its
seven specialized departments, the College possesses a distinct opportunity to develop
interdisciplinary programs that allow more than one domain of knowledge to work
together in a fruitful synergy. This is an opportunity that needs to be endorsed.
Public Perception of the College Reputation
Due to its long history in Alexandria and Syria, the AASTMT has acquired a wide
positive reputation in the region. As a continuum of the same distinctiveness, our
college occupies a leading position among competing institutions in the region. AAST
should maintain this unique status, and invest in this reputation towards realizing a
more advanced ranking among other world universities.
Relationship to State Universities
In accordance with their distinct profiles, state universities’ tutors are among the
best in the Country. Similarly, with the special status of our college as a pioneering nonprofit organization under the League of Arab States, AAST have an advanced
opportunity to recruit top quality faculty. Inviting state university faculty to join our
professors in teaching and research (On part-time basis) would undoubtedly enrich the
program and diversify the experience. Though it is currently being applied, but there are
extended opportunities to improve its benefits in both pedagogic and research domains.
The high quality of our graduates and their ability to fill market niches is
confirmed by the positive feedback AAST received from our industrial partners. The
College has an opportunity to promote this towards better placement opportunities for
our graduates, as well as an opportunity towards recruiting more promising calibers.
THREATS
Just as in the previous sections, the analytical examination of the campus
external environment concluded to the following external influences, which could pose
threat to the future plans of the College.
The Impact of Rising Competition upon Student Recruitment
The large number of private universities in Cairo could represent a threat to the
College’s competitiveness, with the extended choices made available to new applicants.
The College needs to keep an edge to differentiate itself from competitors, in order to
offer a compelling reason for new students.
The Impact of Rising Competition upon Faculty Recruitment
In addition to competing for students, the increasing number of private
universities in Cairo is also competing for faculty members, making it difficult to recruit
top-notch faculty members, unless the College maintains an advantageous status
academically, professionally and financially.
Weakness of Pre-university Education
The unfortunate level of the pre-university education nationwide hinders the
quality of education adopted by the College. The overall lack of preparedness in math
and science forces the College and its departments to put exceptional effort and
resources into improving their level to comply with our benchmarks. This also applies to
their communication skills and hardworking faculties.
Raising Fund for State Universities
Working under the State umbrella, State universities are eligible to direct
governmental funding as well as a great deal of the international donations and longterm loans. Moreover, the new (distinct) programs they opened recently are financially
supported by tuition fees, which would improve their resources and facilities. This, in a
way, poses a threat to the College that is merely reliant on the tuition fees.
The Impact of State Regulations
Being validated by several local and international institutions, the College
programs had to conform to the standards set by these different bodies. The past few
years have witnessed multiple changes in the state’s educational legislations. These
changes may contradict with the requirements set by other international validating
organizations. Some of them may even compromise the quality of education for their
overly bureaucratic limitations and procedures. The College should maintain balance
between adhering to such regulations and keeping-up with its distinctive educational
identity.
Tuition Increases in Relation to Annual Inflation and Economic Crises
The rates of annual inflation together with the global economic crises and challenges put
severe pressures upon the College, with reference to its financial commitments. On the
other hand, a dramatic increase in tuition fees threats students’ enrollment in our
institution quantitatively. Finding the correct balance between responding to rises in
inflation and trying to keep tuition fees as stable as possible should be a priority to the
College.
IMC Campaign Brief
Brief
The project is about a 30-60 seconds video commercial for AAST Al Alamein.
The concept is that “Since the university campus is located in Al Alamein near the
beach and the summer activities, then every day is a summer holiday”.
The video starts in a classroom where the main character is wearing a school uniform
and a swim ring ready for the summer holiday as its the last day at high school and all
student are jumping and happy behind the main character. There will be a voiceover
that introduce several colleges/majors at the university. However, For each chosen
major we see the main character is wearing the major/job uniform while making a
summer activity (Diving, BBQ, getting tan.......etc). The last frame will include the main
character wearing a graduation robe but still wearing the same swim ring that was at the
first frame.
The idea is matching the majors of the university with the summer/beach activities
sarcastically, or in a lighter way that appeals to the high school students. It is to say
"Study Where Every Day is a Summer Holiday" or "You Don't Have to Leave the
Summer Holiday to Study”.
Storyboard
Frame.1
- We see a classroom in chaos and the students are jumping and happy because it is the last
day at high school.
- The main character is at the middle of the frame wearing school uniform and a swim ring
and looking at the camera skeptical.
Frame.2
- The main character is a medical student!doing frog anatomy. He is wearing a lab coat but
also wearing diving goggles.
(School of Medicine)
Frame.3
- The main character is taking a tan while doing calculations on the calculator and laptop
.(School of Management)
Frame.4
- The main character is a chemist holding two test tubes. He is wearing summer clothes and
we see a barbecue with burgers on it next to him.
(School of pharmacy)
Frame.5
- The main character is in a canoe or kayak wearing engineering helmet and passing with a
T-square instead of a paddle.
(School of engineering)
Frame.6
- The main character is wearing a graduation robe and holding a certificate but also wearing
the same swim ring (Frame.1) over the robe.
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Banners For Social Media Ads and Billboards
Figure 2 English Version
Figure 3 Arabic Version
Conclusion
◈ The AASTMT is opening it’s new branch in El Alamein city. Yet, there is no
awareness or marketing campaign that has been made to inform the public in
Egypt about the new campus.
◈ We proposed the idea of a 60 second video showreel to target the future
Egyptian students and drive them to apply for the academy’s new branch.
◈ The concept is that “Since the university campus is located in Al Alamein near the
beach and the summer activities, then every day is a summer holiday”.
◈ We are targeting the youth, specifically, 16 to 18 years old students who are
looking for university options.
◈ The video is going to use humor as mechanism to trigger the targeted student in
Egypt to react and eventually apply for AAST Alamein.