The keenness of party faithful to study at the newly established Ghana Institute of Social Democracy apparently is on the higher side as the school recorded a total of 420 persons for its first batch of enrollments.
The institute which was launched on August 10 seeks to enlighten its students on the principles and ideologies of the party.
Speaking at the sidelines of its maiden lectures, Registrar of the school, Peter Boamah Otokunor indicated that the numbers recorded today were far above expectations. According to him, authorities anticipated a total of 100 students for a start but the turnout for them was very impressive.
“We were not even expecting anything close to the numbers we had today, when we opened admissions for this course, our capacity was to take 100 students but the number of persons who took the forms went beyond our expectation. We had over 800 people picking up the forms and most of them submitted, we did a review and we were able to admit about 420 out of the 800 who picked the forms”, he said.
Former President John Dramani Mahama who was Guest Speaker for the occasion mentioned among other things that the institute will not support the training of “indoctrinated political robots” for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to former President Mahama, “contrary to widespread perception, an institution like this is for indoctrinating people; it is not where one goes to be brainwashed to become ideological robots of a political party
The NDC ideological school hopes to serve as a centre for research in the changing global ideological perspectives of the social democratic tradition. Students who enroll in the school will among other things acquire knowledge on the historical events that led to the formation of the NDC; learn the values and principles that underpinned the Social Democratic Ideology of the NDC; and learn how the ideology of Social Democracy had been used to govern in different countries, including Ghana.
They will also acquire knowledge on leadership skills at all levels of party work; acquire skills that will assist in party organisation, undertake membership drives and promote activism at all levels of political activity, the statement said.
