CHANGSHA - A teacher in central China's Hunan province has been detained for allegedly molesting eight of his female primary school students, local authorities said Friday.

A police investigation confirmed that 51-year-old Pan Shilai had allegedly molested eight girls, the county government said in a statement.

Local police received telephone calls from parents of the third graders at the Sanqiao school in Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County on June 14, who claimed that their daughters had been molested by their maths and music teacher, it said.

Huang He, headmaster of the school, has been suspended from his post and local education authorities have arranged psychological counseling for the girls.

The education authorities have ordered primary and middle schools to strengthen management, raise awareness of self protection among girls and carry out activities to boost teachers' morality and ethics.