XI'AN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A former headmaster in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has been arrested for allegedly raping a female minor in his school, local authorities said on Thursday.

The former headmaster, surnamed Liu, was accused of raping the student in March 2012. But he had not been arrested until last week. The local publicity office declined to explain why it took more than a year to make the arrest. The age of the victim was also not disclosed.

Liu, now in his 50s, served as headmaster of a school in Ningshan County for 10 years. He was transferred to the county's education bureau in 2012.

A string of school rape and molestation scandals sparked public outcry earlier this year. In June, a headmaster in the island province of Hainan was sentenced to 13 and a half years in jail for rape, after a news report saying he and a county official took six girls to a hotel went viral online.