Makerere University's latest post-graduate admission list shows that far fewer women than men are joining the science courses.

The Observer has published the list of about 2,500 students admitted to the university to pursue PhDs, master's degrees, and post-graduate diplomas in various disciplines.

The figures fly in the face of recent government efforts to encourage girls to embrace sciences. For instance on the PhD in Agricultural Sciences programme, where three women have graduated over the last three years, only nine of the 24 new applicants admitted are female.

And there is no knowing how many of these will brave the five-year span of this course. On the popular MSc Agribusiness Management, just four of the 19 admitted applicants are female. Similarly only two of the 16 on the MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics are female.

The matter is even worse in the medical sciences where the MSc in Orthopedic surgery, specialists in bone ailments and accident victims, will feature only male students.

According to the principal of the College of Health Sciences, Prof Nelson Sewankambo, some courses are usually unattractive to females.

"For instance Orthopedic surgery, by its nature is regarded as too manual and usually attracts only male students, while others like Gynaecology as well as Pediatrics and Child Health tend to appeal to their maternal instincts," he said.

The admitted students are expected to start school in September.