Inquest hears teacher unsure of ministry visits after Zara incident

 

KOTA KINABALU: A teacher told the Coroner’s Court she was unsure whether any minister or deputy minister from the Education Ministry had visited SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha since the incident involving Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Nurul Shahadah Ibrahim, 38, maintained her uncertainty despite being asked twice by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during Thursday’s proceedings.

She said she did not personally inform Zara’s mother about early information on the incident because she believed the responsibility lay with the school administration and worried that preliminary details might be misleading.

Nurul disagreed with suggestions that the school tried to withhold information from Zara’s mother and said she was unsure whether the situation involving senior students scolding Zara before she locked herself in a toilet constituted bullying.

She added that Zara had once expressed interest in becoming a school Islamic Spiritual and Propagation Committee (Badar) member, a gesture she described as touching, and confirmed she will continue her testimony on Friday. - dailyexpress