KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here will deliver its decision tomorrow on a suit involving the absenteeism of an English teacher at a Sabah school here.
The suit was filed by three former students of SMK Taun Gusi, Kota Belud - Rusiah Sabdarin, Nur Natasha Allisya Hamali and Calvina Angayung, all 22.
Counsel Sherzali Herza Asli who represented the three students said judge Leonard David Shim is expected to deliver the decision at 9am via e-review.
"The decision has been fixed tomorrow and will be delivered via e-review," he said when contacted by New Straits Times today.
This means there will be no physical appearance by the parties in court tomorrow, he explained.
In 2020, the students filed the suit against the teacher Mohd Jainal Jamran and named him as the first defendant.
They also named Suid Hanapi (in his capacity as principal of the SMK Taun Gusi) as second defendant, Education Ministry director-general as the third defendant, Education Minister as the fourth defendant and the Malaysian government as the fifth defendant.
They claimed, among others, that Mohd Jainal failed to turn up in class to teach the subject for seven months in 2017, while the other defendants took no reasonable action despite being notified of the matter.
The plaintiffs had called 10 witnesses and only three witnesses testified for the defendants during the hearing which was completed in January 2023.
Senior Federal Counsel Mohd Hafizi Abd Halim, together with Federal Counsel Fazrul Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir, acted for the defendants during the trial.
The unprecedented case in the country's education system, was first filed by Siti Nafirah Siman, also a former student of SMK Taun Gusi against the same defendants in 2018.
Siti, now 23 and a housewife, had filed a lawsuit on Oct 30, 2018, claiming among others that the teacher had failed to turn up in class to teach the subject for seven months in 2015.
Siti's case is still ongoing and the trial is expected to resume on Aug 16 -18 and Aug 28 – 30 before judge Datuk Ismail Brahim.