UAE: Do you see teachers quit? How Sharjah plans to retain staff, improve school leadership

Khaleej Times

24-02-2025

Sharjah is prioritising teachers' welfare by focusing on enhancing their emotional intelligence (EI). Experts recognise emotional intelligence's vital role in fostering strong relationships, supporting students' well-being, and improving teacher retention.
This was highlighted by Dr Mustafa Toprak, Associate Professor, Sharjah Education Academy, after conducting a systematic review to examine the existing literature on School Leadership (K-12) in the UAE.
Micromanaging leadership styles
Speaking during the fourth edition of the Sharjah International Summit on Improvement in Education on Monday, Toprak explained that his findings revealed. "There is this need for integrating emotional intelligence which is very important for boosting motivation. Authorities or micromanaging leadership styles are common in certain schools here, where leaders limit autonomy for teachers. It seems to negatively influence the teacher turnover rate. School leadership plays a significant role in shaping the conditions that enable teachers to perform at their best, ultimately enhancing student outcomes."
Veteran educators highlighted that teachers with high EI contribute to a supportive and positive school culture, which benefits both students and staff in the long run.
"Authentic leadership on the other hand is also important which means having a high level of integrity, honesty, being down-to-earth and transparency is important for engaging the staff and creating a trust-based school environment. This impacts teacher quality as well as student outcomes," he added.
'Many leaders are unprepared for their roles'
Toprak explained that to foster the development of academic leaders, it is important to focus on their emotional intelligence, as this is key to ensuring 'transformational leadership' and making effective decisions within their institution.
He also highlighted that much of the research in education leadership has traditionally been ethnocentric and Eurocentric, focused on the needs of Anglo-Saxon communities, and stressed the importance of making research more contextually and culturally relevant.
"Under 'Leadership selection, training and development', I found that many leaders are unprepared for their roles. So, there are issues related to the selection of school Principals … training and continuous development of school Principals (are required). There seems to be an inconsistency among school leaders, particularly in their ability to effectively use data. Research shows that some school principals are competent in using data for improving their school and for decision making, but some are not."
Similarly, e-Communities of Practice (e-CoPs) are valuable in developing collaborative leadership skills among school leaders. By leveraging digital platforms, veteran educators stressed that school leaders can engage in peer learning, share best practices, and refine communication styles -- all of which contribute to a more positive and effective school environment.
"e-Communities of Practice have proven to be an effective tool for fostering collaborative leadership skills. Several schools are leveraging this platform to enhance the skills of school leaders, particularly in the area of communication styles, which directly impacts their performance and contributes to a more positive school environment. Research highlights a growing need for context-specific, personalised, and integrated professional development (PD) opportunities to better support the growth of educational leaders."
Toprak reiterated that building strong, culturally diverse leadership in schools requires more than just policies—it demands real—world exposure and collaboration.
"Close cultural mentoring is important. We need to pair school principals in the UAE with school Principals in other geographical and cultural context so that they can learn from each other," he added.