One year's salary paid in advance as bribe? Zoho founder flags corruption in Tamil Nadu teacher recruitment
Sridhar Vembu identified teacher recruitment as a major problem facing the public education system
- Jun 29, 2026,
- Updated Jun 29, 2026 4:29 PM IST
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Monday alleged that corruption in teacher recruitment has contributed to the decline of government schools in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that candidates are often required to pay the equivalent of a year's salary in advance to secure jobs.
In a post on X, Vembu said around 50% of Tamil Nadu's school students now study in government schools, a share that has fallen over the years as parents increasingly turn to private institutions.
"As of this year, about 50% of Tamil Nadu school students study in government schools. This percentage has dropped considerably because the government schools have gotten worse," Vembu wrote on X.
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"Often even poor rural parents borrow money to send their children to private schools when they can, because of the deterioration in government schools," he added.
Vembu identified teacher recruitment as a major problem facing the public education system. "One key problem is the corruption in government school recruitment, which has been a long-standing open secret and the going rate I am told is about one year of salary paid in advance," he said.
Calling for reforms, Vembu said improving recruitment practices should take precedence over infrastructure upgrades. "We still have many dedicated teachers in government schools. We have to strengthen them. A good place to start is to end the corruption in school teacher recruitment," he wrote.
"The infrastructure of government schools is good in some places, not so good in others. But fixing that comes next, only after fixing recruitment."
Vembu, who said he studied in free government-funded aided schools, argued that strengthening public education should remain a priority despite his own efforts in the private sector.
"I studied in free schools funded by the government (aided school) so I want to make the system stronger. We are happy to run our free private schools, and we will expand them further, but we need to make our government schools much stronger," he said.
"Our poorest communities need strong free schools," he added, while tagging the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Office.
The remarks came a day after Vembu linked corruption to rising living costs and demographic challenges in the state. In a separate post, he argued that corruption drives up real estate prices, construction costs, school fees and healthcare expenses, placing greater financial pressure on households.
He said large amounts of political corruption money were parked in real estate, while corruption in building approvals and regulatory compliance increased costs across sectors. According to Vembu, these higher expenses force young people to delay marriage and have fewer children, contributing to Tamil Nadu's low birth rate.
"Corruption is becoming an existential threat to our society," Vembu wrote, describing it as a major factor behind the state's rising cost of living and demographic challenges.
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Monday alleged that corruption in teacher recruitment has contributed to the decline of government schools in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that candidates are often required to pay the equivalent of a year's salary in advance to secure jobs.
In a post on X, Vembu said around 50% of Tamil Nadu's school students now study in government schools, a share that has fallen over the years as parents increasingly turn to private institutions.
"As of this year, about 50% of Tamil Nadu school students study in government schools. This percentage has dropped considerably because the government schools have gotten worse," Vembu wrote on X.
Don't Miss: Corruption is making India's real estate costlier - and hurting birth rates, warns Sridhar Vembu
"Often even poor rural parents borrow money to send their children to private schools when they can, because of the deterioration in government schools," he added.
Vembu identified teacher recruitment as a major problem facing the public education system. "One key problem is the corruption in government school recruitment, which has been a long-standing open secret and the going rate I am told is about one year of salary paid in advance," he said.
Calling for reforms, Vembu said improving recruitment practices should take precedence over infrastructure upgrades. "We still have many dedicated teachers in government schools. We have to strengthen them. A good place to start is to end the corruption in school teacher recruitment," he wrote.
"The infrastructure of government schools is good in some places, not so good in others. But fixing that comes next, only after fixing recruitment."
Vembu, who said he studied in free government-funded aided schools, argued that strengthening public education should remain a priority despite his own efforts in the private sector.
"I studied in free schools funded by the government (aided school) so I want to make the system stronger. We are happy to run our free private schools, and we will expand them further, but we need to make our government schools much stronger," he said.
"Our poorest communities need strong free schools," he added, while tagging the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Office.
The remarks came a day after Vembu linked corruption to rising living costs and demographic challenges in the state. In a separate post, he argued that corruption drives up real estate prices, construction costs, school fees and healthcare expenses, placing greater financial pressure on households.
He said large amounts of political corruption money were parked in real estate, while corruption in building approvals and regulatory compliance increased costs across sectors. According to Vembu, these higher expenses force young people to delay marriage and have fewer children, contributing to Tamil Nadu's low birth rate.
"Corruption is becoming an existential threat to our society," Vembu wrote, describing it as a major factor behind the state's rising cost of living and demographic challenges.