When Has, an eight-year-old girl in Jierensumu elementary school in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, received a 300 yuan (US$36.14) grant from her president, her school fellows and teachers congratulated her for the special present on the International Children's Day.

Although Has' home was struck by an earthquake in March, she does not have to worry about her tuition fee at all as the school has remitted it and she can get the annual grant for students of minority ethnic groups from the regional government.

"In our township, no child will have to discontinue his or her studies for lack of money," said Seqinbater, president of Jierensumu elementary school.

The Jierensumu elementary school is a boarding school established according to the Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority Nationalities endorsed in 1984, which says the regional government should establish government-funded boarding elementary and middle schools in pastoral regions or minority ethnic group inhabited mountainous regions to ensure the nine-year compulsory education of local children.

Located in the depths of the Xilin Gol Grassland in the Xi Ujimqin Banner, the boarding school has 121 students, all children of the local Mongolian herdsmen.

Although in the remote grassland, children of the Jierensumu elementary school on Tuesday were also spending the International Children's Day joyfully like the children in other regions of China.

The celebration will last for two days. Except for giving awards to students excellent in studying or other aspects and giving grants to destitute students, the revels also include many programs of rich ethnic taste, in which both the students and their parents will participate.

In the Mongolian wrestling game, the six-year-old Xinbala became the brightest spot in the arena. After defeating several boys even older than him, the little boy finally won the second place in the game.

"My son's good performance in wrestling should be attributed to the school," said Xinbala's father.

In the elementary school specially established for the Mongolian ethnic children, students study not only cultural lessons such as mathematics and Chinese, but also many traditional skills of the Mongolians including wrestling, Mongolian chess, Mongolian singing and dancing and calligraphy in Mongolian characters.

So the annual celebration for the International Children's Day become a good stage for these children to exhibit their achievements.

In the low and deep sound of the special bowed stringed instrument of the Mongolian ethnic group with a scroll carved like a horse's head, the 12-year-old Boyinulgi's dancing brought the audience the feeling of galloping on a horse in the vast grassland.

Not only the traditional ethnic performance, modern dancing and model performances of the students also drew applause of the audience.

"There are many elementary schools like Jierensumu in the grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In those schools whose educational facilities and teaching qualities keep improving, children of the Mongolian herdsmen are being brought up," said Seqinbater, who has been teaching in the grassland for over20 years.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2004)