Chennai: A recent social media post by Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu praising the TVK government for quickly giving approval to his free rural schools without greasing its palm, unlike the previous government, has set the cat among the pigeons, with the DMK supporters attacking the tycoon online over the corrupton allegations.
DMK supporters questioned why Vembu had not produced evidence or approached investigating agencies if bribes had indeed been demanded (by the previous government). Others cited his 2024 social media posts showing the schools functioning normally and asked how approvals could have been withheld.
The DMK backlash resulted in a fresh post from Vembu, issuing a detailed clarification, on Thursday. He said his original post primarily referred to pending DTCP approval for permanent buildings on the Tenkasi campus, while alleging that the Theni campus had also faced hurdles when they attempted to get state board approval for the school. He also mentioned that he took over premises previously run as a CBSE school by a retired IPS officer in Theni, who couldn’t secure the required NOC for a CBSE school because of alleged demands for bribes.
Vembu runs Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam that operates two free schools, based on National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) curriculum, in Tenkasi and Theni.
School Education Department officials, however, told TNIE that NIOS institutions do not come under the department’s purview and do not require approvals from it.
Vembu’s allegations also found support with private school administrators. Vineetha Govindasamy, founder of Abhishri Academy, claimed on X that obtaining statutory clearances from fire safety to hostel and kitchen approvals often involved demands for money. She also alleged that schools were routinely asked to provide vehicles, staff and other resources for government events.
“At present, bribes to the School Education Department have stopped at the top level. We hope the online approval system, to be introduced from July 1, would further improve transparency,” said a private school association office-bearer.
Attempts to obtain a response from Vembu’s team regarding the approvals and their timeline were unsuccessful.
