Academic Calendar Enforcement and Student Performance in Theological Education: A Qualitative Study of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Bugema University

Delayed reporting and inconsistent adherence to the academic calendar among regular/full-time students in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Bugema University have raised concerns regarding academic discipline, learning continuity, and student performance. Although regular students have greater access to campus resources and more instructional time, anecdotal evidence and institutional observations suggest that in-service/part-time students often demonstrate stronger academic focus and better performance outcomes. This article evaluates the perceived effectiveness of academic calendar enforcement and explores how reporting patterns, time management, motivation, maturity, and institutional accountability influence student performance. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design and drew on semi-structured interviews with nine students and three faculty members. Data were analyzed thematically to identify recurrent meanings in participants’ lived experiences. The findings indicate that academic calendar enforcement provides a necessary structure for learning, but its effectiveness depends greatly on student self-regulation, purpose-driven engagement, and institutional consistency. In-service students appeared to benefit more from calendar enforcement because they demonstrated clearer academic goals, stronger time management, and higher levels of maturity. The article concludes that academic calendar enforcement should be strengthened alongside mentoring, time-management training, and student accountability systems, especially for regular students in theological education.