The Petra Organisation has expressed its shock and sadness at the passing of Ministry of Education Adviser, Olato Sam.
Dr Sam was killed on Thursday morning.

A statement from the body with deep ties to schools’ football read, “We at the Petra Organisation are shocked and saddened by the untimely demise of Dr. Olata Sam. Dr. Sam was very instrumental in guiding our engagement and interactions with the Ministry of Education (MoE). It was during his tenure as Chief Education Officer that approval was granted for us to use school teams in the Courts Pee Wee Football ten (10) years ago.

Dr. Sam, without delay or hesitation in his advisory capacity to the Minister of Education, signaled to the late Loraine Barker-King, the then Administrator of the Allied Arts Unit (Ministry of Education) to green light approval for the completion of the Milo School’s Football Tournament which the COVID-19 Pandemic disrupted.

In June of 2022, Dr. Sam and the Director of Sports, Mr. Steve Ninvalle, invited the Petra Organisation and other stakeholders to a meeting to discuss synergy, development, fair play, and the re-engagement of private schools in our football tournaments.

It was Dr. Sam’s experience and shared knowledge that guided us to adjust our rules. His input ensured that students who represented both private and public institutions were duly registered at schools/institutions for a specified period, with the emphasis being placed on their academic pursuits also.

So involved was Dr. Sam with our programmes that only last evening (Thursday, and the day before, he contacted Mr. Troy Mendonca, Co-Director of the Petra Organisation via WhatsApp messages for an update on the Scores in the Digicel’s Schools Football Tournament Round of 16 matches.

The Petra Organisation will greatly miss Dr. Sam’s friendship, support, and impacting guidance and we are sure numerous others with whom he came into contact with.

We, therefore, wish to express our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, his family, and the Ministry of Education. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory.”