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Show Middle East Expert Says Social Changes Wasted Despite many major economic and social advances in the Middle East, gains have been wasted because be-cause of rapid, uncontrolled population popu-lation growth, according to Dr. Hanna Rizk, who spoke Wednesday evening in the library auditorium. Speaking to the American Society for the Middle East, Dr. Rizk, noted not-ed expert on population who carried on fertility studies in Egypt during 1959, used the Middle East as an example of population problems. "Countries of Middle East have many similar characteristics of countries with population problems," prob-lems," he stated. He said that the Middle East has been caught up in a population growth which has inhibited economic eco-nomic growth. Dr. Rizk cited the growth problem prob-lem as being a result of a loss of balance between fertility levels and morality levels. "Due to effective and inexpensive inexpen-sive medical and sanitation controls," con-trols," he said, "mortality levels have declined." Improved Methods He stated that increased birth rates and fertility levels was a result re-sult of improved methods in child-hirth child-hirth and migration into certain countries. "Migration changes caused by the Israel-Arab disputes has created extreme problems," he continued. High fertlity levels create problems prob-lems in economic gain, unemployment, unemploy-ment, modernization and industrialization, industrial-ization, according to Dr. Rizk. It is not because the middle eastern east-ern countries do not try to make effective gains, he said, but that increasing populations inhibits them. Middle East Improves "They have made outstanding marks in enthusiasm and desire for education," he explained. These countries have increased number of schools, their governments are psending more money on education and more students are being accepted ac-cepted into schools. "We hope to wipe out illiteracy," he said. But it is hard to wipe it out because of growth rate among school age children. He concluded, saying countries cannot fight against violence, hatred hat-red and wars until the population problem is taken care of. Dr. Rizk has been serving as guest lecturer at the University. He gained his Ph.D. in sociology and economics from Princeton. |