KOTA KINABALU, Nov 27 — A teacher from SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha acknowledged that the school conducted five internal investigations into student Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death, but the findings were not submitted to the police.
Its assistant head of discipline Nurul Syahadah Ibrahim, 38, said the reports were not submitted to the authorities as they were deemed internal records, notwithstanding the school's confidence in the police's investigative capabilities.
The 54th witness testified that these inquiries were conducted on July 16 and July 17, and again on August 4, August 5, and August 13, involving several students, including the five pupils identified as the last to have seen the deceased.
She was being examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor cum conducting officer Mohd Fairuz Johari during the inquest into Zara's death before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Nurul admitted that the findings of all five internal investigations were never formally reported to the school principal, but were instead referred to the assistant principal of student affairs.
"At that time, the principal was occupied with liaising with various parties, including the District Education Office and State Education Department," she said.
When questioned by Rizwandean M. Borhan, the counsel representing the deceased's mother, Nurul said the findings were not disclosed to her to prevent speculation.
"We wished to avoid giving rise to any speculation. I had no ill intent in this matter; I am also a mother myself... I disagree with the suggestion that we deliberately concealed this information from Zara Qairina's mother," she said.
Recalling her memories of the deceased, Nurul said that although she never taught the student any subjects, she had received a pencil case as a gift from her on May 20 during Teacher's Day celebrations.
"I rarely interacted with her, so I was surprised to receive the gift. The school's discipline unit had never taken any disciplinary action against her.
"She had also expressed interest in joining the Dakwah and Rohani (Badar) Society. I was informed of this matter by a student on July 17, after her passing.
"To the best of my recollection, approximately one week before the incident, she had expressed an intention to meet with me regarding becoming a Badar member.
“This remains a positive memory, as it was unprecedented for a student to express such an interest," she said.
Zara, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am.
The Attorney-General's Chambers ordered her remains exhumed for a post-mortem on August 8, before announcing a formal inquest into her death on August 13.
The inquest proceedings will resume tomorrow.
