The Bermuda Employers Council (BEC) has renewed its call for organised emergency childcare after Government gave confusing advice for parents coping with the teachers' strike.

Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher said: "We are leaving the schools open and advising the parents to keep children at home."

BEC Executive Director Andrea Mowbray: "It is confusing. It's pretty much impossible for parents at this time."

The dilemma for parents keen to keep working but not leave their children on the loose was highlighted by one East End parent.

She told radio news yesterday her children had been turned away from school despite earlier promises she could leave them to be supervised while she went to work.

The single mother said she had been forced to miss work all week without pay to cope with her children.

Dr. Christopher said he was looking into the matter.

Asked what parents should do he said: "We are advising them to keep their children at home because if we have a lot of parents who bring their children you won't have the staff to make sure they are safe. The schools are not closed.

"Once you bring a child to school and want the child to remain there we cannot refuse them. But it's common sense that if you have 50, 60, 70 children there with one principal they won't be safe."

Ms Mowbray said this week's chaos, which has decimated the workforce as parents stay home, showed the need for proper contingency planning.

Dr. Christopher said he didn't want to comment when asked why Government didn't pool resources by one school in each neighbourhood taking children from all the schools.

He added: "It doesn't change the ration of adults to children."

Dr. Christopher would not comment when asked why Ministry of Education staff could not be sent to help out.