Pakistani teachers protest broken up

More than 200 Pakistani teachers detained by police in the city of Lahore have been released.

The school and college teachers had tried to stage a demonstration against plans to transfer educational institutions in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh to the private sector.

On Thursday, thousands of teachers took part in protests throughout Punjab province.

They say more than a-million teachers would lose their jobs under privatisation, and more than six-million students would be deprived of free education.

The authorities say they are not contemplating an all-out transfer of schools and colleges, and only want to give institutions the possibility of opting out of state control.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service