Government Eases Nurse Training Requirements Again – Says You Can Write O-Levels As Many Times As You Want

Government Scraps O-Level Sitting Limit For Nurse Training

The government has made it easier to become a nurse, announcing that the number of O-Level sittings will no longer determine who qualifies for training. Aspiring nurses can now retake their exams as many times as needed and still be considered. This significant policy shift, which follows last year’s removal of the compulsory mathematics requirement, clears two long-standing hurdles for candidates across the country.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora revealed the change during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly on Wednesday, 1 October 2025. He said the old rule, which limited the number of exam sittings, was unfair and had blocked capable students.

Opening Doors For Disadvantaged Students

Dr Mombeshora explained that the “one sitting” rule never reflected actual ability. Instead, many students were held back simply because their families could not afford to register for all subjects at once.

“We removed the requirement that we had said that we want only O-levels and a student should have sat once. We discovered that some of the children did not fail, but some of their parents could not afford the registration of five or more subjects at once. In those places, we are paving the way for those who have more than one sitting to be enrolled,” said Dr Mombeshora.

He was responding to Mkoba Member of Parliament, Mr John Kuka, who raised concerns about students from rural and remote areas repeatedly missing out on nurse training despite having the right qualifications.

A Second Major Change To Entry Rules

This latest announcement follows another major reform made in April 2024. At that time, the Ministry of Health and Child Care removed the compulsory O-Level Mathematics requirement for the three-year Diploma in Registered General Nursing Training.

According to ZimLive, the move was met with criticism from some doctors. One medical professional, speaking anonymously, said:

“This lowering of standards appears to be a targeted move to get people who don’t qualify to join the nursing profession, God knows for what reason. A nurse recruited on what appears to be a purely political formula will be a danger to patients.”

Nonetheless, the Ministry’s May 2024 intake confirmed maths was no longer a prerequisite, requiring only English, a Science subject, and three others.

High Demand And Future Employment

Dr Mombeshora admitted that while entry requirements have been eased, the demand for training places still far outweighs availability.

“The number of candidates applying for nurse training is very high, and available nurse training schools cannot recruit a higher percentage due to a shortage of teaching staff and inadequate infrastructure,” he said.

He also stressed that the government must ensure job opportunities for future graduates.

“Another problem is, if we train quite a number of them, where will we employ them? We discussed with the Treasury that the number of nurses should double by 2030 and we need to ensure that those trained nurses are recruited,” said Dr Mombeshora.