Lucknow, Feb. 4 -- The Lucknow district administration on Tuesday issued strict instructions regarding the grant of medical leave to teachers and staff deployed for the 2026 UP Board high school and intermediate examinations, scheduled to be held from February 18 to March 12. According to an official order issued by district magistrate Vishak G, only medical certificates countersigned by the chief medical officer (CMO) will be considered valid for teachers, principals and staff seeking medical leave prior to the commencement of the examinations. The decision has been taken in view of recurring difficulties faced by the education department in appointing centre superintendents and invigilators during board examinations. Officials said that several teachers and principals often avoid examination duty by submitting medical certificates, causing disruptions in examination management. This year, a total of 121 examination centres-including 120 schools and one model jail - have been designated across Lucknow district. As per examination norms, at least 50 per cent of invigilators at each centre must be appointed from outside institutions, thereby necessitating the deployment of a large number of teachers. The district administration has directed that leave applications during the examination period be approved only in unavoidable circumstances after proper scrutiny. Block education officers have been instructed to prepare block-wise lists of teachers eligible for invigilation duty to ensure smooth deployment as per the requirements of the district inspector of schools. Further, all block education officers have been asked to issue identity cards to teachers assigned invigilation duties to avoid last-minute complications....