Brief History of ESEC

1839 - during the monarchy, in the reign of D. Maria II, the Normal Primary College was founded in Coimbra. Normal Colleges were created to train primary school teachers, providing the specific knowledge for this branch of teaching.

1928 - under the Estado Novo [New State], the college was closed because of a cut-back in public spending and for political reasons, since the dictatorship did not regard investment in teacher training as one of its priorities. But the reaction to this measure forced the Government to reopen it later the same year.

1930 - normal colleges became primary teacher training colleges

1936 - 1942 - the college was once again closed, by government decree. 

1942 - 1979 - the college reopened and functioned as the Coimbra Primary Teaching Training College. 

1979 - The teacher training system in Portugal underwent some changes. By government decree, all the Primary Teacher Training Colleges were closed and replaced by Higher Education Colleges [Escolas Superiores de Educação - ESE]. These were new official institutions for the training of infant and primary teachers. A new national network of colleges was established in the ambit of a Polytechnic higher education scheme. The scope of Polytechnic higher education and the Higher Education Colleges was defined by the government.

This year saw the creation of the Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra (IPC), and it was also established which Colleges would belong to it, with one being the Escola Superior de Educação (ESEC).

1979 - was also the year in which the system governing the Polytechnic higher education establishments was defined. After a period during which they were finding their identity within the higher education system (which included affirming their specificity vis-à-vis the universities and their integration in the Polytechnic higher education network), these colleges increasingly started to function. 

1985 - The first Installation Board was appointed for the Escola Suuperior de Educação de Coimbra. In the 1985/86 academic year, the Installation Board introduced its firs training activities with the In-service Training Scheme for Basic and Secondary Education Teachers.
Along with the end of the Primary Teacher Training College and Infant Teacher Training College, in Coimbra, and the transfer of some of their teachers to the new Escola Superior de Educação, the first steps were taken to set up the schemes for the initial training of Infant School and Basic Education Teachers.

1987/ 88 - the first functioning academic year for ESEC. 

1997 - the first Executive Board took office on 29 July, signalling the end of the installation period. ESEC's governing bodies are: the Academic Committee, the Pedagogic Committee, the Assembly of Representatives and the Executive Board.