Accounting students at Emeris participate in a campus-wide Amazing Race

Accounting students at Emeris Durban North traded textbooks for teamwork as they raced across campus in an interactive competition designed to test both their academic knowledge and workplace skills.

The School of Finance and Accounting recently hosted its annual Amazing Race, bringing together 107 third-year IIE Bachelor of Accounting students in a fast-paced event that blended learning with friendly competition.

Divided into 12 teams, students navigated eight stations across campus by solving clues that led them to their next challenge.

 Along the way, they tackled activities based on Financial Accounting, Taxation, Auditing, and Management Accounting and Finance, including quizzes, puzzles, word searches and Pictionary-style tasks.

The initiative aims to move learning beyond the traditional classroom by encouraging students to apply their knowledge while working under pressure.

“The Amazing Race is a beyond-the-curriculum initiative which incorporates gamification into learning while strengthening the relational, business and decision-making competencies required by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) competency framework,” said Tasnim Bassa, finance and accounting lecturer at Emeris Durban North.

The annual event also sees staff from various departments across the campus volunteer to run the challenge stations, creating a collaborative environment that mirrors real-world teamwork.

Senior finance and accounting lecturer Tamara Naidoo said the competition gives students an opportunity to develop practical skills while embracing healthy competition.

“As accounting people, we are very competitive.No matter the final positions, every student should feel proud of the skills they developed and the way they showed up on the day.” she said

Team Orange claimed top honours after successfully completing the challenges. The winning team consisted of Andrew James Law, Anele Mbele, Aryan Deonarain, Aryanna Francis, Ayush Goordeen, Brandon Dengler, Cameron Govender, Casey Alex Jones and Chase Rungiah.

Rungiah credited the team’s success to collaboration and making the most of each member’s strengths.

“We all had different strengths, which we applied to the different tasks. Each station related to our modules, so you had to know your work in order to move on. It was a very enjoyable experience,” he said.

Team Purple secured second place, with members Mohammed Yusuf Arbee, Muhammad Essack, Muhammad Yusuf Randeree, Muhammad Farooq Amra, Nabeel Vally, Nakeisha Govender, Naseerah Bux, Nazmirah Shaik, Neha Elina Bodri and Nicholas Anthony Naidoo.

Vally said the event provided a refreshing alternative to conventional teaching methods.

“This was loads of fun and we learnt more from this experience than we would have from a presentation. It forced us to think under pressure like we would in the workplace,” he said.

Naidoo said the event achieved its objective of helping students build essential soft skills alongside technical expertise.

“They participated actively, interacted positively with both peers and facilitators, and managed disagreements constructively. This initiative aimed to develop and enhance students’ relational and decision-making competencies, and that goal was clearly achieved. The students demonstrated these skills in a lively, engaging and enjoyable way,” she said.

By combining academic challenges with teamwork and problem-solving, the Amazing Race continues to provide Emeris accounting students with an innovative learning experience that prepares them for the demands of the professional world.

IOL