GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -Police say they have detained two men in the death of a prominent educator, Dr. Olato Sam, allegedly shot while liming with some friends during the early hours of Friday.
In a statement, the police said Dr. Sam, 53, the Education Specialist within the Ministry of Education up to the time of his passing, fell to the ground after sounds of what appeared to be gunshots.
“At about 12:10 hrs this morning, a fight broke out between two men on the opposite sides of the bar. Two loud explosions, which sounded like gunshots, were heard from the direction of the two men.
“A few seconds later, Olato Sam fell on the ground, and his friends rendered assistance and took him to the GPHC (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation), where he was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty. The body was examined, and what appeared to be a gunshot wound was seen to the upper left chest,” police said in the statement.
The police said the two persons allegedly fighting have since been detained and assisting in the investigations.
Earlier, the Ministry of Education, confirming his death, said, “It is with deep sadness that the Education Family learned of the end of Dr. Olato Sam, who up to the time of his passing served as an Education Specialist within the Ministry of Education. He also served as Chief Education Officer from 2011 to 2016.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, and the staff of the Ministry of Education extend sincerest condolences to Dr. Sam’s wife, family, friends, colleagues, and the entire education fraternity,” the Ministry said.
“He was working on several things, but particularly a holistic national plan for addressing violence in schools is what he was finalizing to present again to me,” Manickchand said in a statement on her Facebook page.
The Ministry of Education said Dr. Sam also lectured at the University of Guyana in the Masters in Education and Bachelors in Education programs. He has served as chairman of the Guyana School of Agriculture; Commissioner on the Teaching Service Commission, Guyana; a member of the Caribbean Examinations Council’s Final Awards Committee; Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Cyril Potter College of Education; member of the CARICOM Taskforce on Teacher Education and Training and as a member of the CARICOM Task Force on the Establishment of Teaching Councils.
During his years in the sector, the Ministry said Dr. Sam demonstrated success in program management while keeping abreast of educational innovations. He was a superb team player and motivator who used a developmental approach to enhancing educational outcomes.
It said he also provided leadership to the professional arm of the Ministry and devised education policies in collaboration with the Minister of Education, Education Officers, and other stakeholders.
“He offered technical advice for the efficient implementation of educational policy at all learning institutions covered by the Ministry of Education and represented the Ministry’s interests in several regional and global for,” the Ministry added.
and then 