A high school philosophy
professor returned to work Thursday after being fired in
February after 14 years on the job because he forgot to report
he was fined 200 euros for urinating into a bush 11 years ago.
Stefano Rho' was hugged by a couple of his students before
going into his first class, on Nietzsche.
"I'm finally returning to normality and doing what I like,
working with the kids," he said.
"It turned out OK for me but I can't forget the situation
of many of my colleagues who are still at home without work
because of the self-certification norm. We have to do something
for them".
Crowds of friends and well-wishers, including many students
of the school where he is one of the most popular teachers,
cheered last month's reinstatement verdict.
Rho', 43, a father of three born in Uganda of humanitarian
doctor parents, in the summer of 2005 attended a village feast
in Averara, pop. 182, located in the Brembana Valley.
The village shut down early and there was no bathroom
available, so Rho' and his friend relieved themselves in a bush.
Police caught them in the act, cited them, and a justice of
the peace eventually fined them 200 euros.
In 2013, Rho' signed an education ministry form stating he
had no criminal record. But the Bergamo school system discovered
the discrepancy, and censured him.
However the Audit Court later ruled that lying about one's
record is grounds for firing, and he was.
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