Tarkwa (Western Region), 13 Oct. Six female students have been admitted to the University of Science and Technology (UST) school of mines at Tarkwa. Two of them are pursuing BSC degrees in mining engineering, two are studying for Diploma in mineral engineering (Mineral Technology), one is taking a diploma in geological engineering and the last one is studying for a diploma in mines surveying. Dr. John Kofi Borsah, Principal of the school told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Tarkwa today that the students are among 246 freshmen admitted by the school to undertake studies in mining-related programmes in the 1997/98 academic year. A total of 646 students applied for admission. Dr. Borsah said female intake this academic year is an improvement on last academic year's intake of three. He said although the number of female students seems small, it represents a remarkable improvement. The first female to pass out of the school with a two-year certificate in mining engineering in the 1988/89 academic year was Ms Comfort Aba Amissah while the second, Ms Victoria Addison, now Mrs. Victoria Bleppony (ed. correct) graduated with a BSc (Mining engineering) second class upper division in 1994/95. Dr. Borsah attributed the growing interest in mining engineering and related programmes among female students to the government's efforts in promoting science and mathematics among girls. Twenty-year-old Rita Allotey, a first year BSc (Mining Engineering) student, said she was advised by her brother and a friend whose father is a mining engineer to consider the programme. Miss Lucy Mensah Panford, a 21-year-old second year diploma student in geological engineering, attributed her interest to environmental factors having had her secondary education within a mining environment - at Saint Roses at Akwatia. Miss Mensah said a field trip to Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) at Obuasi when she was doing her sixth form course at Saint Louise Secondary School in Kumasi. shaped her perception for the course.