How many days do you suppose you could be absent from work before anyone notices? A day or two, maybe. A week, perhaps, if you have a good reason and a sympathetic boss. But two decades?
Behold Cinzia Paolina De Lio, the lady who arguably outslacked all slackers in world history.
This Italian literature and philosophy teacher was able to evade teaching duties for 20 of 24 years and stay on the payroll.
No, this is not an error. 24 years on the payroll. And in attendance for virtually none of it. Her incredible story has put her now on front pages, in courtrooms, and even, reportedly, on a beach, where she calmly swatted aside questions from journalists as she sunbathed.
But how did she do it? And why in the world did it take so long before someone was all, “Hey, where is this woman?” Buckle up. The tale is somehow more absurd and more fascinating than you’d think.
A Career in Being a No-Show
De Lio was first hired to teach at a high school outside Venice. Her mission? To pass on the lamp of literature and philosophy to young minds.
While she officially still held the position for well over two decades, court documents have discovered she spent only four years in the classroom.
Where was she during the rest of the time, then? Not quite in hiding, but not at school either.
She used every trick of the book: sick days, vacation days, leave to attend academic conferences…
Over time, the system allowed her to regularly skip her teaching assignments through loopholes or due to a lack of supervision.
It wasn’t that nobody ever saw her. When she did appear in class from time to time, she certainly made an impression, though not a good one.
School inspectors at last observed one of De Lio’s classes. According to Italian news, what they found was more improv theater than a lesson plan. Her lesson was titled “confused” and was heavily dependent on improvisation.
And if that were not bad enough, matters really turned sour when students themselves started to rebel. In what amounts to a pretty blatant act of protest in the academic world, De Lio’s students went on strike.
“She was my philosophy teacher in my third year of high school, but I didn’t see her more than ten times,” said her former student, Francesca B.
What justifications were given for his long absences?
“We were teenagers and they didn’t ask us many questions, but when we asked the other teachers, they told us that he sent sick notes and stayed home for health reasons.”
Their gripe? She had supposedly texted during oral exams, given meaningless grades, and seemed overall unprepared, even copying books from students one time because she had forgotten her own at home.
The philosophy professor who appeared to operate in total disarray taught in logic and reason!
Fired, Rehired, and Fired Again
Finally, the school had had enough and dismissed her. But De Lio was not going out without a fight. She contested the case in court and, remarkably, won. A judge ruled in her favour, directing that she should be reinstated to work.
Yes, she did regain her job. But that triumph proved short-lived.
The issue eventually made it to a higher court, which reviewed her actual classroom time. The findings were damning: De Lio had been in the classroom physically for only four of 24 years on the job.
This time, the court reversed its earlier decision, and the ruling was upheld by Italy’s Supreme Court. It was game over. For real, this time.
The Italian press even nicknamed her “Italy’s worst employee!” She doesn’t seem to have any competition for that title as of yet, as well as no regrets.
When Times reporters attempted to contact her following the most recent court decision, De Lio responded, though not in a formal statement or public apology.
“Sorry, but I’m now at the beach,” she told Italian daily La Repubblica without responding further. Maybe she was too busy applying sunscreen.
The entire incident has generated controversy both at home and abroad, generating arguments regarding bureaucracy, accountability in public institutions, and what exactly it takes to be fired from a governmental job.
It was not that the education system didn’t have attendance or performance-monitoring mechanisms in place.
But De Lio seemed to be the ideal mastermind: smart enough to beat the system, confident enough to take the chances, and lucky enough not to get caught, for an entire generation.
When the System Gets Abused
No matter how much De Lio’s tale sounds like it’s straight out of satire, it’s also a critique of how systems are exploited when nobody is observing closely enough.
Teachers, as well as other Italian public sector employees, typically have liberal leave entitlements, including medical leave, maternity leave, sabbaticals, and leave for research.
All of these are legal and are meant to assist the employees in a situation arising in due course. But the De Lio case has shown how, in the absence of due checks, these safeguards become loopholes.
And while De Lio’s experience is extreme, experts say it’s not altogether a one-in-a-million occurrence. It’s not so much about De Lio. It’s about how it became possible for her to disappear from the system without anyone sounding the alarm.
Lessons (Sort Of) Learned
De Lio’s experience is over, but what it has to impart, ironically, is only just beginning.
Italian education ministries are already coming under new pressure to strengthen accountability measures, more closely monitor teachers’ attendance, and crack down on extended abuse of leave privileges.
In a sense, her downfall may usher in the very change she did not work towards for twenty years.
And what about her students?
At least they learned something: how not to be a role model.
And for the rest of us, one final lesson: if you ever feel guilty taking time out of work to visit the dentist, just remember, somewhere out there, a teacher missed twenty years of work and still collected her paychecks. Just do not try to do exactly as she did.
Cinzia Paolina De Lio may never teach another class, but she’s taught the world a thing or two about the art of bureaucratic loopholes, brazen excuses, and the strength of simply not showing up.
Just don’t think the rest of us will get away with it.
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