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A probe has been launched after a teacher on long-term sick leave allegedly appeared on at least two cooking shows.
The teacher, who has not been named, is alleged to have appeared on the German programmes despite being signed off on a year-long period of sick leave.
The Cologne district government, which runs the school the teacher works for, confirmed to German media that it has launched disciplinary hearings into the incident.
After initially asking him for a written statement on the matter, authorities looked into whether the teacher was invited to star on the programmes while he was on leave, or if the episodes he appeared on were merely broadcast during this period.
But upon reviewing the statement, it opened up disciplinary proceedings based on ‘sufficient factual grounds’.
Possible consequences for the teacher include a formal reprimand, a reduction in salary, a forced transfer, or even a dismissal from the teaching profession.
Authorities declined to comment on the matter, citing their policy that ‘disciplinary matters are strictly confidential’.
A probe has been launched after a teacher on long-term sick leave allegedly appeared on at least two cooking shows (File image)
It comes after it was found that a teacher who went on sick leave for 16 years was being paid her full £48,000 salary the whole time – and the school didn’t even notice.
The woman, a German biology and geography teacher, went on leave in August 2009 due to a chronic illness and psychological problems.
After a three-month absence, she should have been assessed by a doctor. But this never happened, and her sick leave was systematically renewed for nearly 20 years.
When the state finally found out, it ordered the woman to undergo a medical examination, but she refused and decided to sue her management.
The woman was paid 100% of her salary the whole time she was away, despite never returning to the Berufskolleg vocational high school in Wesel, near Duisburg, where she had worked since 2003.
She managed to go under the radar until a change of management in 2024, when an internal audit revealed this ‘oversight.’
The former director, who took over the establishment in 2015, had never met the teacher in question and was completely unaware that she was, in theory, part of his teaching team.
According to Bild, citing the German salary scale, the professor reportedly earned between €5,051 (£4,369) and €6,174 (£5,341) per month.
