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A TEACHER appearing before the inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir has told the court in Koata Kinabalu she never received any briefing on hostel supervision prior to the incident, underscoring what appears to be a systemic gap in safeguarding at the school.
The 45th witness, Addorie Francis, a Science and Mathematics teacher who had taught Zara since February 2025 and who is serving as an interim contract teacher on probation, described the girl as cheerful and respectful.
According to a statement issued by the legal team representing Zara’s mother, she said she was only first assigned hostel duties in February, with responsibilities covering cleanliness checks, attending to sick pupils and monitoring evening study sessions.
The statement said the teacher confirmed “pihak sekolah tidak pernah memberi taklimat kepada guru asrama mengenai pelajar asrama” and that she was unaware of any system in which senior students acted as dorm leaders to oversee younger boarders.
Evening study sessions for Forms One to Four run from 8pm to 10pm, and the teacher explained that hostel staff typically monitor only the classroom blocks before returning home, with no instructions issued for night patrols.
The statement noted that eight hostel teachers and nine wardens serve the facility, though only wardens receive an allowance.
On 15 July, Addorie was off campus from 6am to 5pm accompanying pupils to a Gami-code competition at SM All Saints, Kota Kinabalu.
She returned to her quarters after the prep session. She said she learnt of the fall only on 16 July, at about 5.47am, when a warden informed her of the incident.
“Teacher Rohayati asked the witness to look after Zara’s dorm mates and told her, ‘A student has fallen and broken a leg.’” The witness said she was unable to carry out the task because she had external duties again at All Saints that same day.
The statement added that before Zara’s fall there had been no system for teachers to record patrols, and that only after the incident did the school administration require such records, which are now done through a WhatsApp-based roll call.
The 46th witness, Gloria Theresa Thien Pet Yee, an English teacher who also serves as a hostel teacher, gave further testimony.
She attended a meeting of teachers and wardens in the hostel dining hall on the morning of 16 July and heard discussions about the events of the previous night.
According to the statement, she heard wardens discussing an “incident of altercation that night” involving Zara, including allegations of theft.
“The witness heard that Zara had been confronted by senior students because of a theft case involving a junior student that concerned cash.”
Gloria was then taken to the musolla at around 10.30am for a question-and-answer session with Form One and Form Four students regarding the events of 15 July. There, she learnt from a senior student about the existence of Zara’s diaries.
According to the statement, the student—initially believed to be from Zara’s dorm but later found to live in another room—produced two diaries, one green and one purple, which she claimed to have taken from Zara’s locker. These were handed over to Teacher named Yuslina.
Gloria briefly left for breakfast and, upon returning, saw wardens Yuslina and Fatimah discussing and reading the diaries. The inquest resumes today. - November 18, 2025
