Is India doing enough with its vision for education for the masses (and not just for the elite) to realise its full potential? This question is even more critical in the face of a skills gap and a jobs crisis in India, given the modern economy’s rapid adoption of industrial automation, robots and AI. With the new Indian government shortly coming up with its first full federal budget and with education sector outlays being actively discussed, it is time to take a broader, holistic view of where Indian education needs to go. We fear that education could become a political instrument such that India never realises its true potential.