The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa has admitted 640 students out of 2,108 applicants, to pursue various mining related courses this academic year.

The figure comprise 489 males, representing 76.72 per cent, and 149 females, representing 23.28 per cent.

Professor Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor of UMaT, who administered the matriculation oath, said as a University they had done a lot to encourage more women to venture into engineering education over the years through their gender mainstreaming policy.

"We will therefore continue to evolve new initiatives to sustain the mainstreaming programme to encourage more females to pursue engineering programmers in our University," he stated.

In the area of postgraduate admissions, Prof. Kuma said the University admitted 61 students to pursue various programmers leading to the award of Master of Science, Master of Philosophy and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees.

He said this brings the total postgraduate student population to 10 per cent of the current total student enrolment of 2,330.

Additionally, he said their goal over the years has been to increase the total postgraduate enrolment into the University to 30 per cent of the total student population.

He noted that management of the University would pursue this goal by offering practicing engineers and professionals to be admitted into their postgraduate programmes to train them to develop advance mining and allied engineering skills without leaving their jobs through their innovative modular programme.

Prof. Kuma indicated that the first batch of students for the new Bachelor of Science programmes in Renewable Energy Engineering were among the matriculates for this year.

The Vice Chancellor indicated that by the time these students graduated they would help the country to find solutions to their energy challenges.

He further said that it was the objective of the University to introduce seven undergraduate programmes in Civil Engineering, Financial Mathematics, Data Science, Aerospace Engineering, Land Administration and Information Systems, Spatial Planning and Technical Communication in the near future.

Prof. Kuma disclosed that Master of Science in Engineering Management and Master of Business and Technology Management programmes would be introduced next academic years.

He was hopeful that the training students would receive at UMaT would assist government's industrialization drive with the one District one Factory initiative.

Touching on the activities of small scale miners, Prof. Kuma charged students of UMaT especially those in the faculty of Mineral Resources Technology to help the government achieve programmes that miners would undertake that would not destroy water bodies and forest as well as put the lives of the small scale miners and the population at large at risk.

He also praised the government for giving the University the opportunity to replace their staff.