UNITED NATIONS, May 18 -- Nearly 1 million children in Nepal are unable to return to school after the devastating earthquake hit the country last month, which highlights the need to address education in emergencies, said a UN spokesperson here on Monday.

"In Nepal, nearly 1 million children are unable to return to school and the emergency flash appeal for education has received only 1.3 percent of the needed funding, placing children at risk of trafficking, forced labor and abuse," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing.

UN Secretary-General's Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown said that the tragic events in Nepal illustrate the urgent need to address education in emergencies and also the need for a global humanitarian fund to finance relative actions for immediate help, said Haq.

According to a report of Nepal's ministry of education, 12,550 classrooms and 1,016 water supply systems to the school areas were completely destroyed. More than 4,070 classrooms have major cracks and another 6,889 classrooms have minor cracks.

The government of Nepal has postponed the reopening date of its schools to May 29, 15 days later than the previous date but the schools are unlikely to follow the order due to the devastated structures and lack of open spaces for temporary facilities.

UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Nepal Tomoo Hozumi said earlier this month that the schools should be reopened in time to minimize the disruption to education and the risk of violence and trafficking.