Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

Educational System:
The AASTMT has started its activities in education and training in three fields of specialization Marine Navigation, Marine Engineering and Radio Officers and Marine Technicians. The aim of these courses is to qualify the marine cadets. Later, the offered studies developed to include the Basic Sciences and the bachelor''s degrees for which the American Credit Hours System was adopted. As for the upgrading studies for maritime officers and marine engineers, the English System was adopted. Finally, for the vocational studies, the Japanese System was adopted. All these fields of specialization depend on practical applications.

Certificates Equivalence
The AASTMT has managed to obtain the approval of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Universities for considering the holders of the High Seas Second Officer eligible for the affiliation with any Egyptian University or any 4-year higher education entity which a student can join after high school. (Thanaweya Amma)

It is worth mentioning that the AASTMT has the precedence in achieving a high degree of flexibility in the process of transferring the marine officers from the path of vocational studies to that which allows them to obtain the bachelor''s degree in Marine Navigation Technology. This is due to the application of the American Credit Hours System. In order to show the importance of this achievement, it would be essential to mention that the holder of the High Seas Captain certificate, when sent to the United Kingdom to obtain the bachelor''s degree, had to start his studies over regardless of his previous studies. However, due to the flexibility of the current system the AASTMT applies, it opened the door for its officers to obtain the bachelor''s degree as well as the eligibility certificate in four years only something deemed by experts an unprecedented achievement.

In addition, the report which was prepared by the Japan Transport Cooperation Association in March 1997 about the AASTMT''s progress over the years and the flexibility with which it switched to science and technology then to science, technology and maritime transport, is considered the most sublime honor the AASTMT has received, especially that the honor is bestowed upon the AASTMT by the country which occupies the first position in the field of maritime transport internationally. The AASTMT has also managed to make all its certificates equivalent to those granted by Egyptian universities in the fields of Engineering and Management.

Students Affairs:
Since its establishment in 1972 until the academic year 2001/2002, the AASTMT has provided a multiplicity of educational opportunities to students from more than 59 Arab, African, Asian, European ...etc. countries. These opportunities were distributed throughout the AASTMT''s long experience in the field of education.

Main Elements of the AASTMT''s Educational Services Distinction:
Stemming from the AASTMT''s concern about the distinction of the services it provides in education, training and research and its belief in its role in the service of the students and their parents - despite the application of the self-finance policy - the AASTMT has extended its activities from its main headquarters in Alexandria, to Cairo, South of the Valley and Latakia in an attempt to offer its distinct services to the sons of all the Arab countries. This is due to the fact that the AASTMT is considered a unique model for the collective Arab work on the lands of Egypt, which owns all of its assets (public property). This is also due to the flexibility and the open educational philosophy, with which the AASTMT is managed under the umbrella of the Arab League (flexible administration). It is also considered a true model for the educational organization that does aim at any financial profit. Indeed, the secret behind the AASTMT''s success and distinction lies in the aforementioned models the AASTMT represents and through them it has taken off from regionalism to the skies of internationalism. The main elements of this success lie in the strategy the AASTMT adopts the strategy of managing the results not the activities. The main assets of this strategy can be summarized in the following points:

The constant development of the syllabi for all fields of specialization according to the latest international systems, resorting to rare expertise, deriving benefits from the greatest educational consultants like Sir Graham Day, educational advisor to the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Dr. Ernest Fraenkel one of the geniuses of the MIT who played a major role in the development of the Maritime Transport in Singapore.
The gradual approximation to the industry, the offering of community service programmes, the adaptation of the syllabi and scientific research in order to achieve that goal and the innovation of new fields of specialization in order to fulfill the needs of the market and the demands of development.
The constant development of the methodology of teaching and the use of modern techniques as effective tools in the educational and administrative processes an example of which is the use of computers, multimedia, CDs, internet and Intranet. The AASTMT has also established 13 libraries, public and specialized, in its main headquarters and the other branches. These libraries contain hundreds of scientific periodicals and more than 60,000 reference books. That is in addition to the scientific studies, dissertations, papers and projects. There is also the e-library service which grants the students and the teaching staff easy access to thousands of books, references and periodicals in the world''s biggest libraries.
The ongoing attempts to attract the distinct teaching personnel and providing them with the suitable financial income and moral appreciation. Due to the adoption of this strategy, the employed teaching staff of the AASTMT reached 639 staff members, 234 of whom are PhD holders. In addition to about 1400 teaching assistants, lecturers, part timers, and seconded staff members from other universities, all of whom, take part in enriching the process of education, training and scientific research.
Realizing the philosophy of considering the student the focal point of the educational process, (the student is the final product), through establishing two deaneries specialized in students'' affairs and services and students'' activities. Both deaneries are responsible for providing various services to the students, patronizing their athletic and cultural activities, caring for their educational, social and medical affairs and adopting the policy that the educational process in the AASTMT is considered a contract between the AAT&MT and the parents. That is why in case of the student''s death - God forbids - the parents get back all the fees paid since the day the student joined the AASTMT in addition to the insurance. Also, if a student loses the family bread winner, he/she is exempted from paying any further educational fees till he/she graduates from the AASTMT. This strategy stems from deeply-rooted Arab values and the fundamentals of Islamic solidarity which are non-existent in any other institution all over the world.
Caring for students after graduation through the establishment of the Graduates'' Affairs Fund in cooperation with the major industrial institutions in Egypt. Through this Fund, the AASTMT creates job opportunities for its graduates, pays part of their salaries for a whole year, after which, a decision whether the graduate continues in the job or receives a certificate of experience that qualifies him/her to work in other places is taken.
Offering grants for outstanding and distinguished students and adopting the system of the gradual reduction of fees for students who have excelled in their high school studies and who wish to join the AASTMT. The AASTMT also adopts the strategy of preventing any increase in educational fees for students once they join the AASTMT until they graduate. Any increase is applied via the strategy of the rationalized increase, and it is applied on new students.
Establishing the Projects Incubation Centre to patronize students'' projects and care for them, an original idea that the AASTMT presents to the world of projects and business in all the Arab countries, starting from Egypt, where the main headquarter is located. This idea creates a new cultural perspective when it comes to employment it corrects the prevailing ideology behind the constant demand for the employment of everyone since no government is able to employ all its subjects. The idea of this centre is based on adopting the ideas of projects students present, the AASTMT helps them, through the teaching staff, prepare the necessary feasibility and marketing studies, then comes the financial aid till the project starts the actual executive steps and comes out as a project with separate financial entity. Many employers share in these projects with students out of their own financial resources. Parents also share in these projects. The AASTMT, thus, achieves many goals the students who contribute to these projects or share in them need not search for employment after their graduation, especially that they are working in the fields that they like and that they have chosen for themselves. The AASTMT also shares in creating new activities for the society through the innovative ideas behind these projects. Even if a project not based on a new idea or if there are similar projects in the market, the AASTMT helps through the Centres'' projects in enhancing the performance of these projects.
Services and Students'' Activities:
The AASTMT adopts a distinct policy when it comes to caring for its students. This policy considers the student the focal point of educational services as well as administrative support. As a consequence of this policy, the AASTMT''s main headquarters includes various activities and services, the aim of which is to make the life of students easier. Among these activities and services are the dorms, hostels and restaurants, which have the capacity for 1300 students, and which are fully equipped with all means of comfort. In addition to these facilities, there is also the girl''s hostel which can accommodate up to 100 girls.

Nautical and Marine Engineering students lead a safe and organized life within the campus of the AASTMT, starting from abiding by the uniform to the commitment to leadership and athletic drills. This goes on for the first two academic years.

Throughout the year, all AASTMT students practice their cultural activities through the seminars and lectures organized by the Cultural Activities Department. That is in addition to entertaining trips and athletic activities. In this regard, students are always keen on organizing the annual Parents'' Day in order to improve and enhance the cooperation, and the cultural and social affinity between the students and their parents.

Community Service Programmes and Continuous Education:
Due to the AASTMT''s belief in the role of the educational institutions in serving the community, it has started offering various educational programmes to serve the community of Alexandria. The aim of these programmes is to further develop and enhance the skills of those who did were denied the opportunity of being well qualified or distinguished in the fields of language, computing, secretarial work, aviation tickets reservation, marketing and management. These programmes also grant them a chance for continuous education, and open new tracks for them to pursue other fields of specialization should they choose to.

These programmes start over every three months, and they are ongoing all year round. They are carried out in the AASTMT''s headquarters in Miami, Sidi Bishr and downtown. The programmes are offered according to an evening schedule. These courses attract a considerable number of those who aim at developing and enhancing their vocational skills, as well as gaining new ones. In addition, these courses are sometimes especially designed for groups of employees in a certain company or organizations. The estimated number of those benefiting from these programmes, throughout the year, ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 Alexandrians. Furthermore, there are the summer courses for the education of children which benefit around 5,000 children.