<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><h1 class="gmail-Btitle" style="font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:34px;line-height:42px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0)">National literacy festival kicks off in Mongolia</h1><div class="gmail-wzzy" style="font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;font-size:14px;color:rgb(99,103,103);line-height:34px"><span class="gmail-source" style="padding:0px 5px">Source: Xinhua</span>|<span class="gmail-time" style="padding:0px 5px"> 2019-05-03 18:43:45</span>|<span class="editor gmail-domPcc" style="padding:0px 5px">Editor: mingmei</span></div><div class="gmail-bdsharebuttonbox gmail-bdshare-button-style1-24" style="font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:160px;float:left;zoom:1;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:medium"><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/03/c_138031593.htm#" class="gmail-bds_fbook" title="分享到Facebook" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);float:left;font-size:18px;padding-left:25px;line-height:24px;height:24px;background-image:url("../img/share/icons_1_24.png?v=7314c5f6.png");background-repeat:no-repeat;margin:6px 6px 6px 0px;background-position:0px -1352px"></a><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/03/c_138031593.htm#" class="gmail-bds_twi" title="分享到Twitter" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);float:left;font-size:18px;padding-left:25px;line-height:24px;height:24px;background-image:url("../img/share/icons_1_24.png?v=7314c5f6.png");background-repeat:no-repeat;margin:6px 6px 6px 0px;background-position:0px -1404px"></a><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/03/c_138031593.htm#" class="gmail-bds_linkedin" title="分享到linkedin" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);float:left;font-size:18px;padding-left:25px;line-height:24px;height:24px;background-image:url("../img/share/icons_1_24.png?v=7314c5f6.png");background-repeat:no-repeat;margin:6px 6px 6px 0px;background-position:0px -1664px"></a><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/03/c_138031593.htm#" class="gmail-bds_tsina" title="分享到新浪微博" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);float:left;font-size:18px;padding-left:25px;line-height:24px;height:24px;background-image:url("../img/share/icons_1_24.png?v=7314c5f6.png");background-repeat:no-repeat;margin:6px 6px 6px 0px;background-position:0px -104px"></a><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/03/c_138031593.htm#" class="gmail-bds_weixin" title="分享到微信" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);float:left;font-size:18px;padding-left:25px;line-height:24px;height:24px;background-image:url("../img/share/icons_1_24.png?v=7314c5f6.png");background-repeat:no-repeat;margin:6px 6px 6px 0px;background-position:0px -1612px"></a></div><div class="gmail-clearfix" style="font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:medium"></div><div class="gmail-content" style="font-family:Arial;margin:20px 0px 0px;padding:30px 0px 10px;border-top:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:medium"><div class="gmail-Videobox" style="font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px"></div><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">ULAN BATOR, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The annual national literacy festival kicked off in Mongolia on Friday with the aim of encouraging people to learn the traditional Mongolian script and promoting their mother tongue.</p><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">"The mother tongue and national script are a guarantee of independence of any country. Therefore, we all must protect our mother tongue and national script and learn them well," Mongolian Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Yondonperenlei Baatarbileg said at the launching ceremony.</p><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">The festival encourages especially children and youth to learn the traditional Mongolian script and promote their mother tongue education, the minister said.</p><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">The festival co-organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, the National Library, the National Council on Language Policy, the National University of Mongolia and other relevant institutions will last until next Wednesday.</p><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">During the festival, more than 120 activities, including academic conferences on Mongolian language and studies, competitions relating to traditional Mongolian script, literature and language, and book exhibitions, will be held across the country.</p><p style="margin:0px;padding:15px 0px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(64,64,64)">The Asian country has been holding the festival annually since 2003.</p></div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>