Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir, the Minister of Education under the Taliban government, has stated that that PhD and master's degrees are not valuable as mullahs don't have them, and yet they are 'the greatest of all'.

A video widely shared on social media shows the Taliban's Minister of Education, Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir diluting the importance of any kind of higher education.

"No Phd degree, master's degree is valuable today. You see that the Mullahs and Taliban that are in power, have no Phd, MA or even a high school degree, but are the greatest of all," Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir is heard saying in the video.

Private universities and higher education institutions in Afghanistan that are following the new gender format have reopened.

Male and female university students will be taught in separate classrooms and only female lecturers will be allowed to teach girls' classes, Tolo News reported.

Joint classes are not acceptable at the universities. A Taliban official said, "Some of the universities are able to use separate buildings for girls, to teach the girls separately. But a number of universities do not have buildings, they can change the time of classes."

Meanwhile, officials from the private universities and institutions said they were willing to implement the new format required by the ministry. The officials are worried about the girls' low attendance at the universities.

The Taliban has unveiled a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, with key roles being shared by high-profile members of the insurgent group.

With IANS Inputs