KOTA KINABALU: A former English teacher at SMK Taun Gusi in Kota Belud had to teach Form Four and Five English syllabus to the students as their teacher was absent all the time.
A subpoenaed witness who is currently teaching at another school testified that when the Form Four students entered Form Five, she found that the students did not have English exercise books.
The witness, whose identity is being withheld for safety reasons, said she had to cover both years' syllabus for 2015 and 2016 and had less than 10 months to do so.
The 11th witness was testifying before High Court judge Datuk Ismail Brahim in a suit brought by former student Siti Nafirah Siman.
In the suit filed on Oct 30, 2018, Siti Nafirah, now 23, had named Mohd Jainal Jamran (her former English teacher known as Sir JJ), Suid Hanapi (then principal of SMK Taun Gusi), the Kota Belud district education officer, Sabah education director, the education director-general, the education minister and the government as defendants.
The witness testified that Jainal's alleged failure to enter classes in 2015 had affected the teaching syllabus of the students in 2016.
Under examination-in-chief by counsel Shireen Sikayun, she said several English Language teachers including herself had taken over English classes after the school principal allegedly issued an instruction that Jainal did not need to teach the said subject to Form Five students.
The witness said Jainal's failure to enter class to teach was an open secret in the school.
She further testified that the former language department head of SMK Taun Gusi in Kota Belud borrowed her lesson plan about two days after the civil suit was filed against Jainal.
She said that Norhana wanted to borrow the lesson plan as Jainal was not able to complete the lesson plan.
According to the witness, apart from telling her husband about the matter over the phone, she had also informed a few teachers in SMK Taun Gusi.
The witness in her testimony had also described Jainal as a bad-tempered person and recalled an incident where Jainal spat at her.
After the suit against Jainal went viral, the witness said Jainal then spoke to her and apologised for being rude to her before.
Senior federal counsel Jesseca Daimis and federal counsel Mohd Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir acted for the defendants.
The trial resumes tomorrow.