KOTA KINABALU: An English teacher of SMK Taun Gusi, Kota Belud who did not turn up to teach the subject in 2015 was transferred to another school after a civil suit was filed against him in 2018.
A subpoenaed witness, former State Education Department officer Fadzli Abdul Rozan told judge Datuk Ismail Brahim that Mohd Jainal Jamran was transferred to SMK Taun Gusi 2, Kota Belud.
He however could not remember the year Jainal was transferred but it was after the filing of this suit in 2018.
He said this when answering a question from counsel Shireen Sikayun in the trial of a suit brought by the school's former student, Siti Nafirah Siman, now 23.
According to Fadzli, he had asked Jainal to be transferred away from SMK Taun Gusi because it was part of the redeployment process of English teachers and other teachers in the district.
He did not remember specifically how many years Jainal had been teaching in SMK Taun Gusi before the redeployment process. But, he said it may be more or less than 10 years before the transfer.
Counsel: But can you say that Jainal was redeployed to a better school than SMK Taun Gusi?
Fadzli: No.
To another question, Fadzli admitted that he had directed a female English teacher who had highlighted the 'absent teacher' problem to be transferred away to another school.
He said the female teacher was transferred to SMK Usukan, Kota Belud in 2019.
He, however, disagreed with the counsel's suggestion that the transfer was an act of punishment for her speaking up against her higher-ups.
To another suggestion by the counsel, Fadzli agreed that he was instructed by former State Education Department director Datuk Maimunah Suhaibul in early November 2018 to contact the plaintiff (Siti).
He disagreed with a suggestion that the reason he wanted to see Siti by a superior Maimunah was to intimidate Siti into not proceeding with the suit.
Maimunah held a director post from 2016 until 2018 and during the previous hearing, she had disclosed that Jainal is her second cousin.
In the suit filed on Oct 30, 2018, Siti Nafirah had named her ex-English teacher Jainal as the first defendant. The other defendants are Suid Hanapi (as then principal of SMK Taun Gusi), the Kota Belud district education officer, Sabah education director, education director-general, education minister and the government.
Senior Federal Counsel Jesseca Daimis and Federal Counsel Mohd Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir acted for the defendants.
The trial resumes tomorrow via zoom.