RIYADH — The Ministry of Social Affairs is to sponsor 1,000 male and female Saudi students to study social development and special needs care, according to an agreement signed in Riyadh on Wednesday. The ministry will also employ the students once they graduate. The agreement was signed by Education Minister Azzam Al-Dakhil and Social Affairs Minister Majed Al-Qasabi. The program is open to all Saudi men and women university graduates and applications will open on June 27. The Education Ministry has so far signed agreements with a number of ministries and government departments to sponsor 40,600 students abroad and secure jobs for them on their return.