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.

Ezekiel Gimba A., Ag. Director Department of Higher Education

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.