Nairobi, April 25 -- Learners attending sub-county secondary schools face a tougher road to success compared to their counterparts in other categories of schools irrespective of their performance in primary school, a report launched on Wednesday shows.

The institutions, 72.6 per cent of which are day schools, are not only underfunded and understaffed, but also have the highest drop-out and absenteeism rate, and offer the narrowest range of examinable subjects. According to the study, on average, less than a quarter of sub-county schools are equipped with biology, physics and chemistry laboratories compared to 90 per cent of national schools, which are all boarding.

The sub-county schools also lack other resources such as libraries, clea...