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Education is far and away the most empowering investment for individuals. For that reason, the world has long regarded education as a basic human need and human right. But we have not yet achieved universal education. The COVID-19 pandemic may prove to be a devastating blow to universal education for this generation of children, yet it could also be a spur to renewed action. The biggest obstacle is financial—the need to transfer resources from the richest to the poorest countries to ensure that all children have the chance for education at least through the upper-secondary level. In the post-COVID-19 environment, this will also require universal access to high-quality broadband, since much of learning in the coming decade will be online, including blended learning that combines online curricula with in-person education.

What is a human right? A human right is something that every individual is afforded on …