National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairwoman Thandi Modise expressed shock about teachers in some parts of the Eastern Cape not being able to construct a sentence or converse with their pupils in English.

Modise said this was a serious challenge that might have a negative impact on the matric pass rate in some affected schools.

Modise revealed this during an NCOP sitting in East London after her delegation visited various schools in the Buffalo City Metro (BCM).

The delegation conducted oversight visits to various basic and higher education institutions, public libraries, economic development projects and state-sponsored cooperatives.

A few weeks ago, the same delegation was divided into six groups that visited schools in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality.

Modise said their visit to Alfred Nzo in September was prompted by the area earning the lowest matric pass rate in the province last year.

Their visit last week to urban and rural BCM schools was part of the NCOP's annual's programme of taking parliament to the people.

During their sitting on Friday, where President Jacob Zuma gave a keynote address, Modise urged the president to intervene since teachers cannot speak English.

Modise told Zuma that during their week-long visit, they had been exposed to good and bad schools.

Modise asked Zuma to intervene by providing "much-needed capacity training" to affected educators.

"Honourable president, we have also met up with various teachers who are unable to construct a sentence or converse with their own learners in English.

"That gives us a problem because in matric, most subjects are written in English, and if a teacher cannot impart that material in English, that means levels of acceptance and recognition of material and passing of a subject, is the major issue," Modise said.

She said more capacity development programmes were critical, urging Zuma to make space for such.

"We want to say to you Mr president, that refresher subjects and courses for such teachers are very important.

"They are needed."

The NCOP also raised concerns about how food served to children as part of the school nutrition programme was stored and prepared in some schools.

"We have been thrilled and we also have been shocked.

"Mr president, we are worried about the condition of some of the structures.

"We are worried about the nutrition being given to our children."

Her concern comes just weeks after hundreds of pupils around King William's Town were rushed to surrounding hospitals as a result of suspected food poisoning.

This after they had consumed alleged contaminated sour milk.