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Former Chief Education Officer killed by stray bullet
…Two arrested
Kaieteur News – Former Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam was on Friday morning killed by a stray bullet at the Plaisance ‘Line Top’, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Sam, 53, according to police was at a bar along the ‘Line Top’ having a few drinks with his friends when at around 00:10 hrs a fight broke out between two men.
Former Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam.
The fight reportedly escalated to gunplay at 00:30 hrs.
“Two loud explosions, which sounded like gunshots, were heard from the direction of the two men,” police stated. While Sam and his friends were reportedly about to seek cover, he fell to the ground clutching his chest.
His friends picked him up and rushed him to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Doctors told police that he had sustained a gunshot wound to his left side chest.
Both men involved in the gunplay were subsequently arrested by police.
At the time of Sam’s death, he was serving as an Education Specialist and ministerial advisor.
In a statement expressing condolences to his family and friends, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand disclosed that Sam was finalizing a plan to combat violence in schools, when his life was snuffed out by a bullet that was not meant for him.
“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.
The Minister added that she is deeply shocked and saddened by the news of his sudden death.
“He was once Chief Education Officer with his last post being Education Specialist. His contribution was always valuable,” Minister Manickchand said.
Sam served as Chief Education Officer from 2011 to 2016 and returned as Education specialist in 2020.
The Ministry of Education said that during his years in the education sector, he demonstrated success in programme management while keeping abreast of educational innovations.
“He was a superb team player and motivator who used a developmental approach to enhancing educational outcomes,” the Ministry stated while adding that during his tenure as Chief Education Officer, Sam provided leadership and devised educational policies with the Minister.
The Ministry added that Sam also offered technical advice for the efficient implementation of educational policy at all learning institutions it covered and represented its interest in several regional and global fora.
Apart from his tenure at the ministry, Sam lectured at the University of Guyana in the Masters and Bachelors of Education Programmes.
He has served too in a number of capacities which include, Chairman of the Guyana School of Agriculture, Commissioner on the Teaching Service Commission, 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. Sam was also a member of the CARICOM Task Force on the Establishment of Teaching Councils.
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