Former student sues teacher who did not come to class for seven months

KOTA KINABALU: A former secondary student, who is suing her ex-English teacher for allegedly not coming to class for months, did so as she wants to put an end to ‘the culture of silence and fear’.

A local daily (Daily Express) today reported Siti Nafirah Siman, 19, as saying that people should speak up and that she wanted schools to give the best education for students.

“The teacher has nothing to lose if he/she does not teach but students will lose if they do not learn. We must do away with the culture of fear and inability to speak up,” she said.

Siti Nafirah said without a teacher, a student would not be able to succeed and would fail in his or her goal.

“We will lose direction. Without education, our lives will be meaningless. For the benefit of future generations, nothing is more important than a teacher teaching in class,” she stressed.

The former SMK Taun Gusi student filed a summons against her former English teacher Jainal Jamran, who allegedly failed to come to class for seven months since 2015, when the plaintiff was in Form Four.

In her suit, she also named SMK Taun Gusi principal, Kota Belud Education officer, Sabah Education department director, Education Ministry, and the government as defendants.

The summons was filed via Messrs Roxana and Co on Oct 16 and the first court hearing is scheduled to take place on Nov 19.

Meanwhile, Sabah Education director Datuk Maimunah Suhaibul, when contacted by NSTP, reserved her comment as the matter was now a court case.

“We will wait for the court (outcome). However, we have yet to receive a summons letter and only know about the matter through the news report. At the same time, we are in the midst of doing internal investigations,” she said. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd