Thousands of children are dropping out of school "because it's boring".That's according to the Institute of Race Relations 2016 South Africa Survey released last week.It found that one in 12 children of schoolgoing age drops out because education is "useless" and "uninteresting".The report, compiled using data from the 2013 Department of Basic Education General Household Survey, found that the number of dropouts had increased.More than 25% quit school because their parents could not pay the fees. Others had been rejected by the school or had family commitments.Pregnancy, disability, poor exam results and fear of violence at school were other reasons.Pregnant girls are not prohibited from attending school. Pregnancies rose from 71364 in 2009 to 99041 in 2013. The survey found that, of the 1.2million children who started Grade 1 in 2003, only 571819 enrolled for matric in 2014. Of those, only 150752 obtained a bachelor pass - only 11.8% of the original Grade 1 group.Frans Cronje, the institute's chief executive, said the dropout rate was frightening."Only half in Grade 1 proceed to matric. The pass rate in various subjects is terrible. Education on its own sabotages the prospects of a middle-class lifestyle for half South Africa's children. The failings in education do real harm to human development."Children should not lose out on any schooling, let alone their first week of the year, and then have to try to catch up later on."Wandile Sangweni, 13, of Westville, has not seen the inside of a classroom this year.His father, and other parents, this week sought legal help in a desperate bid to have their children enrolled at the local school.Mhlengi Sangweni asked the Legal Resources Centre to help him after he failed to get a Grade 8 place for his son at Westville Boys' High School.The headmaster, Trevor Hall, said that the school was full and Wandile could not be admitted on merit.The Gauteng Education Department has a waiting list of more than 8000 children in Johannesburg and Tshwane. Spokesman Oupa Bodibe said class numbers had been increased to 45, children were being transported to alternative schools and mobile classrooms were being used...