English teacher Nor Asima Zaiton said “maybe” when asked whether her removal, along with eight other individuals, was related to the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir last July.

The 49-year-old witness was being questioned by lawyer Joan Goh, representing one of the children allegedly involved in Zara’s bullying case.

“Initially, I wanted to resign long before the incident. When the time came, we were informed by the state education department that we would no longer serve as wardens,” she said during the inquest into Zara’s death before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

When asked about the six public phones available for students to contact their parents, which were shut down for two days following Zara’s death, Nor Asima said the move followed instructions from chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap to minimise panic among parents.

“The students were not completely barred from calling their parents. I even allowed a Form One student who was unwell to use my mobile phone to contact her mother.

“Just imagine if the students had spread uncertain news, as they did not know what had happened at the time,” she said.

When asked if she had gone against Azhari’s instructions, Nor Asima said: “He didn’t mention mobile phones, his instruction was only about the public phones.”

When asked if the school had been negligent in connection with Zara’s death, Nor Asima opted not to answer.

The teacher, who did not deny that harsh words were sometimes used among students, also said that a child’s behaviour would largely depend on their upbringing and peer influence.

Zara, 13, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel in Papar.