Two men are now in police custody following the fatal shooting of a senior government official yesterday morning at Plaisance Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, in the vicinity of the Gold Rush Bar.
Dead is 53-year-old Dr Olato Sam, Education Specialist within the Ministry of Education (MoE), and of South Ruimveldt Park, George-town.
Police say the incident occurred at about 12.30 am. Enquiries revealed that around 11.15 pm on Thursday, Sam went to the Gold Rush Bar, where he met three of his friends, and while there, they consumed a few drinks outside the bar.
At about 12.10 am yesterday, a fight broke out between two men on the opposite side of the street. Two loud explosions, which sounded like gunshots, were heard from the direction of the two men and a second or two later, Sam collapsed to the ground. His friends immediately rendered assistance and rushed him to the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Upon examination by medical staff, the body bore what appeared to be a gunshot wound on the upper left side of his chest
Sam’s body is presently at the hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
The two men who were involved in the altercation were arrested and are currently in police custody.
A statement from the Ministry of Education (MoE) said that Sam served as an education specialist within the ministry up to the time of his passing. He also served as Chief Education Officer (CEO) from 2011 to 2016. He led the ministry’s professional arm as CEO and developed education policy in partnership with the Minister of Education, Education Officers, and other stakeholders.
During his years in the education sector, the former CEO 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, a MoE release stated.
He also 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 at several regional and global fora.
Sam lectured at the University of Guyana in the Master of Education and Bachelor of Education programmes. He has serv-ed as Chairman of the Guyana School of Agri-culture; Commissioner on the Teaching Service Com-mission; 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.
As Education Specialist, Sam has worked on several Ministry of Education initiatives. Most recently, he was working on a plan to address violence in schools.
The United Nations Guyana extended condolences to the family and the MoE. It stated that Sam worked extensively with the UN System in Guyana during and after his time as Chief Education Officer. Their joint work spanned topics including curricula development and the protection of Indigenous knowledge.
Most recently, as Secretary-General of the UNESCO National Commission, and in collaboration with the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean in Jamaica, Sam supported the UN System’s progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Dr Sam was described as a kind, generous and thoughtful interlocutor and by extension open in sharing his extensive knowledge, and an invaluable advocate of work in support of Guyana’s educational development and protection of Indigenous heritage.
