.png)
THE administrators of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha prioritised saving the life of student Zara Qairina Mahathir before contacting her mother, the Coroner’s Court was told, as the inquest into her death continued to uncover questions over communication, internal investigations and undisclosed evidence.
Former school principal Shaharoom Hashim told the court that the school’s standing procedure in the event of an accident was to seek immediate medical assistance before informing the victim’s family.
“After we sent Zara to the hospital, we tried to contact the next of kin,” New Straits Times cited her telling the court, adding that the security guard who found Zara Qairina unconscious had to obtain her mother’s contact number from teachers.
Shaharoom, who was recalled as the 47th witness, was examined by lawyer Datuk Ram Singh on why the school only sought Zara Qairina’s family contact details about half an hour after the student was discovered on the ground floor of the school on July 16 last year.
Ram is representing one of the five students linked to the alleged bullying of Zara Qairina.
He referred to a chronological report earlier disclosed by Shaharoom, which had been prepared by the then chief warden, Azhari Abd Sagap.
Ram also questioned an allegation that a student affairs teacher had conveyed a message from a Papar investigating officer advising Zara Qairina’s mother not to make the case viral.
“I never issued any instruction not to make the case go viral. At that time, the news was already widespread on social media,” Shaharoom said.
She further told the court that, apart from the chronological report, she had received an immediate preliminary report on the incident via WhatsApp.
That report, she said, was prepared by the school’s student affairs secretary.
When Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan asked whether any minister or assistant minister had visited the school following the incident, Shaharoom said she only encountered a minister at the hospital’s forensic unit.
She added that officials who visited the school were from the Islamic Education Division of the Sabah Education Department.
The proceedings were later adjourned after the eighth witness, former chief warden Azhari, revealed additional evidence in the form of a handwritten note.
He told the court the note referred to Zara Qairina’s interest in becoming a “badar”, a prefect responsible for prayers and other religious matters.
In her testimony earlier, Shaharoom said she was never aware of the written statements provided by five students describing what allegedly transpired on July 15, a day before Zara Qairina was found unconscious.
She said she knew the school had conducted two internal investigations on July 16 and 17.
“For the July 16 probe, I was informed verbally on July 17. I was told that on July 16, an investigation had taken place at the musolla, where students were interviewed.
“However, the disciplinary unit never informed me about those written statements,” she said.
On November 25 last year, an Arabic language teacher testified that documents containing students’ accounts of the incident had been kept by the school’s disciplinary unit and were not disclosed to authorities, including the police.
The teacher told lawyer Shahlan Jufri that she only became aware of the written statements during the inquest, which began on September 3 last year. Shahlan represents Zara Qairina’s mother, Noraidah Lamat.
Shaharoom told the court that she was transferred to the Sabah Education Department three weeks after Zara Qairina was found unconscious.
During that period, she said, she did not have the opportunity to review the written statements as she was occupied with hospital matters, forensic procedures and visits from authorities.
She added that she verbally informed representatives from the Sabah Education Department about Zara Qairina’s death when officers visited the school on July 18.
Shaharoom also testified that she received scanned copies of Zara Qairina’s diaries via WhatsApp and that she met Noraidah twice following the incident.
During questioning, Shahlan asked, “You more or less knew what had happened. Why didn’t you tell Zara’s mother about it?”
Shaharoom replied, “During our visits to Zara’s mother and at the hospital, the information given to me was on the chronology of the case, which her mother was already aware of.”
The inquest resumed with the recall of Azhari, who said the handwritten note about Zara Qairina’s aspiration to become a “badar” was found during a gotong-royong at the school.
He told the court that the note was among several documents, including scanned copies of students’ written statements and diaries, which he had handed over to the police last year.
Proceedings were adjourned at 4pm, with the inquest set to continue today.
The inquest was initiated following the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious on the ground floor of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha. - January 22, 2026