Sick for 16 years - but possibly working in secret? The incredible case of a teacher no one knows about

Disappeared from school - but suddenly online as a non-medical practitioner?

What's going on in Duisburg? A civil servant teacher is said to have been on continuous sick leave since 2009 - with a full salary. But now new evidence has emerged that makes the case explosive: The woman may have built up a second career as a non-medical practitioner during her long-term illness. Suddenly there are entries online with her name - including details of the relevant training.

The victim herself remains silent - even her lawyers say nothing. But the network does not forget: the traces lead to a possibly illegal side job during her sick leave. And this for a civil servant who continues to be financed by taxpayers' money.

The principal doesn't know her - even though she officially works there

The next detail is almost cinematic: the current principal of the vocational college where the teacher has been employed for years doesn't even know her name. No contact, no appearance, no lessons - simply disappeared.

"I have a lot of questions," says NRW Schools Minister Dorothee Feller - and she is not the only one. The Düsseldorf district government has also announced a comprehensive investigation. The case raises one big question in particular: How could this not have really bothered anyone for 16 years?

Now she has to go to the public health officer - and is complaining about it

After a decade and a half, the civil servant is finally to be presented to a public health officer to clarify whether she is fit for duty - or ever will be again. But the woman resists this too. She considers the examination to be "disproportionate" and an "encroachment on her personal rights". The courts see things differently: both the Düsseldorf Administrative Court and the Münster Higher Administrative Court ruled clearly - the examination is legal.

Particularly piquant: the sick notes came most recently from a specialist psychiatric center. For this reason, an official medical report with a neurological-psychiatric assessment is now to be carried out. The woman sees this as crossing the line - the court sees it as a logical consequence.

What does the head teacher say?

Andreas Bartsch from the NRW Teachers' Association finds clear words: "This behavior is a slap in the face for our colleagues." He too has never experienced a case like this in his entire career. He calls the story "completely subterranean" - and probably echoes the sentiments of many others. After all, while many school teachers are stretched to their limits, here someone is collecting money year after year without doing a minute's work.

Trust in the system has been shaken

This case is a prime example of how lazy official action and civil servant status clash. 16 years without a medical examination? Seriously? The fact that a person can sneak out of the system over such a long period of time and apparently also has a part-time job is not an "isolated case", but a structural warning signal. And those who collect must deliver - or be consistently checked.