Give medical certificate only in genuine cases: PSEB to docs

Tribune News Service

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Faridkot, February 23

For some teachers looking to avoid examination duty by terming themselves unfit, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has asked the Health Department to be “strict” while issuing medical certificates for sick leave to the teachers.

In a letter to Additional Chief Secretary, Health, the PSEB Secretary has demanded that instructions be issued to all chief medical officers and civil surgeons to ensure that the medical certificates to the teachers were issued during the examination days only when there were genuine cases.

Of late, it had been noticed that many teachers on examination duty approach doctors in government hospitals to get sick leave certificates to avoid duty. Granting medical leaves to the teachers without any solid reason affected the conduct of examinations, he said. The PSEB Class X and XII examinations will start from February 28. Thousands of teachers have been put on examination duty across the state. Since the teachers are deployed outside their schools and sometimes in other towns, many prefer to avoid the duty mainly on medical grounds.

Not only in examination, even during the election duty producing medical certificates is a common practice among teachers.

Despite the department telling the teachers to produce medical certificates from a government hospital to avail the sick leave, most of them manage to get these.

“We want that these certificates are not given unless the person is genuinely ill,” said Balbir Singh Dhol, Chairman, PSEB.

“We have asked the Health Department to tell doctors in government hospitals to be careful while assessing the medical condition of the patient teacher before issuing him/her a medical certificate,” said Dhol.

“Some teachers prefer not to do exam duty when they are giver supervisory powers in the private schools,” he said.