The four departments are:

It is the only service department within the Secretariat headquarters and it has two (2) divisions – Administration & Supply; & Finance. While Admin & Supplies Division is responsible for establishment matters, training/staff development and other day to day matters of administration; The Finance & Accounts Division coordinates the Secretariat’s budgets, finances and fund releases on overheads

This department was formally known as the Department of Policy and Implementation, its status was changed in accordance with the new quality assurance model in Education. The DQA has the following functions:

i. Undertakes quality assurance functions including the specification and enforcement of minimum standards, as it relates to schools below the tertiary level;
ii. It is responsible for the inspection, supervision, accreditation of both public and private schools.
iii. It oversees mentoring of teachers and students.
iv. It is one of the operational outfits at the headquarters with the status of a department

The Department has a two tier structure viz; Headquarters and Zonal offices. The Headquarters has two professional Divisions i.e. Inspectorate Services Division and Registration and Accreditation Division. There are seven zonal offices covering the six Area Councils, one for each area council, except for AMAC with two.

The Department of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics started as the Educational Planning & Management Information System Division in 2008. In 2014, the Hon. Minister approved its upgrade to fully fledged Department of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics.

Vision

Be a model think-tank that ensures effectiveness and efficiency in the Secretariat’s efforts to realize its vision of providing accessible quality and functional education at all levels, for residents of the FCT

Mission

Support institutional effectiveness and efficiency in education service delivery through ensuring availability of sector level plans informed by ICT driven EMIS and research, as well as collaboration with other national and international stakeholders for improved resourcing

Functions

The Department is the second operational outfit at the Secretariat and performs the following functions:

i. It is the think-tank of the Secretariat in terms of providing information required for daily decision making, policy planning and general management of education in the FCT.
ii. Serves as the desk for the Secretariat’s participation in national education policy meetings such as the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE), and the National Council on Education (NCE). It also coordinates the development and domestication of FCT specific education policies.
iii. It is responsible for collating Education Secretariat’s input to all ministerial platform presentations and reports on yearly education Score Card
iv. Responsible for coordination of Sector Level Strategic and Operational plans.
v. Co-ordinates activities of EFA, SDG as well as Partnership in Education, including International Development partners

This department was established as part of outcome of recommendations to re-structure the Secretariat in order to better execute its oversight functions on its agencies. Before this, the Department of Higher Education was hitherto a unit under the Department of Policy and Implementation (DPI) of the Education Secretariat and came into existence in March 2012. The department establishment was also subject to the outcome of the Ministerial External Visitation Panel on FCT College of Education, Zuba in 2006 which took a comprehensive look at the College and came up with a strong recommendation that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) should strengthen its organs that oversees and supervises the College of Education, Zuba and Higher Education development in the territory. This recommendation was in cognizance of a Higher Education Unit that already existed in the Department of Policy and Implementation (DPI) of the Education Secretariat. This unit needed to be re-strengthened to cope with the volume and magnitude of work required to make tertiary education relevant to FCT and national development. Consequently, in a redeployment exercise of Directors of the Education Secretariat in March 2012, a Director was deployed to take charge of the department. However it was not until March 2015 that the Honorable Minister FCT graciously approved its take-off as a fully-fledged Department. Thus to deliver quality services on its mandate, vision, mission statements and functions have been articulated and approved by the Education Secretariat Management Committee as follows.

Vision

To make tertiary institutions in FCT globally competitive and responsive to societal needs

Mission

To ensure relevant and globally competitive Higher Education in FCT through the provision of enabling environment for: Equitable access, Researches, ICT integration, Sustainable financing and Access to the benefits of international cooperation.

Functions

The Department is the second operational outfit at the Secretariat and performs the following functions:

i. Ensuring that policies articulated by regulatory educational bodies are implemented in line with best practices in the world;
ii. Facilitates the accreditation (by relevant bodies) of higher educational institutions and their programmes, in the FCT.
iii. Promotes and encourage collaboration with relevant institutions on funding, technical assistance and other academic assistance.
iv. Promotes equitable access to higher education in FCT.
v. Initiate, coordinate and advise on the desirability of establishing of institutions of higher learning in the FCT.
vi. Coordinate the establishment of any new public tertiary institutions and to regulate the activities of private institutions
vii. Carry out any other related functions that will ensure good management and best practices in all tertiary institutions in the FCT.
viii. The department consists of 4 professional and one service divisions.