Henry Dyer's principal contributions to education after his return from Japan were in his capacities as Life Governor of the Royal Technical College in Glasgow, and as member, and latterly chairman, of the Glasgow School Board on which he served for 27 years.

Dyer's first association with the Royal Technical College (then the West of Scotland Technical College, and now the University of Strathclyde) was when he was appointed as a trustee of the Young Chair of Technical Chemistry. It was as a representative of this trust that he then became a Life Governor of the College from 1887 till his death in 1918. During this period he was particularly concerned with teaching issues at the College such as the introduction of sandwich courses, class sizes and teaching standards. He also sought a closer relationship between the College and the University of Glasgow, through recognition of College courses by the University, and by the acceptance of the College's Diploma in Engineering as providing exemption from the first two years of the University's BSc degree.