Kota Kinabalu: The Coroner’s Court heard that the State Education Department (JPN) removed nine wardens from SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in the aftermath of Zara Qairina Mahathir’s incident.
The 55th deponent, Nor Asima Zaiton, told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Tuesday that she was among the nine.
The other wardens involved were Ustaz Azhari, Rohayati, Miswati, Rahmatina, Dayang, Fatimah, Elvis and Yuslina.
Asimah told the court she wanted to resign before the incident.
She also testified that the public phone ban at the hostel instructed by Ustaz Azhari was to prevent unnecessary panic among parents.
Students were not entirely stopped from making calls. She also lent her handphone to a student contact her mother.
Asked if she had defied the chief warden by allowing the phone call, she replied that his directive only applied to the public phones, not mobile phones.
Asimah declined to answer when pressed on whether the school had been negligent in relation to Zara’s death.
She said harsh words were sometimes exchanged among students and noted that a child’s behaviour is shaped by parenting and the influence of friends.
To a question about the culture of “memaki” among senior and junior students, Asimah said she did not deny the students used harsh words but when she heard about it, she would directly warn the students.
Asimah said the school constantly reminded the students not to say harsh words towards others as well as carry out programme every day which was “Taskiyatunas”.
“This Taskiyatunas programme where the teachers will remind the students about any indecent act including encouraging the students to say nice words towards others or treat others nicely.
“We constantly remind the students but what they have learnt at home is beyond our control,” said Asimah.
She agreed that the complaints by the mother of Student A, made since March right until the night of the incident, was never received by the school as Ustaz Azhari was mum about it.
