In 1998 the Adopt-a-School Program was launched with the enactment of Republic Act 8525 aiming to create partnership between the private sector and the Department of Education toward providing assistance to public schools thereby ensuring access to quality education.

Target beneficiaries of the program are schools with severe classroom shortage; schools in low-income municipalities; schools with textbook and instructional materials shortage; and overcrowded schools, among others. Assistance may be in the form of infrastructure (classrooms building, science and/or computer laboratory); teacher training and development; or learning support like the provision of kits for the pupils consisting of school bag, crayons, pencils, pencil case, erasers, ballpens, ruler and notebooks.

Just recently, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus relaunched the program and exhorted the private sector to support it to help improve the quality of education.

Since 2001, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. has been among the private entities participating in the program. Through SM Foundation, Inc., it has donated schoolbuildings in Iloilo City (Ticud Elementary School, Nabitasan Elementary School, Montes Elementary School, N. J. Ingore Elementary School, and Bo. Obrero Elementary School); Dasmariñas, Cavite (Bagong Bayan E Elementary School and Paliparan III Elementary School); Baguio City (Josefa Carino Elementary School); Cagayan de Oro (Mambuaya Elementary School and Consolacion Elementary School); Lucena, Quezon (Padre Burgos Elementary School, Dalahican Elementary School and Ransohan Elementary School); and Pampanga (Pandacaqui Resettlement Elementary School and San Vicente Central Elementary School).

In Marilao, Bulacan, it renovated three classroom schoolbuildings. Each SM schoolbuilding consists of two classrooms, each provided with 50 armchairs, blackboard and a toilet facility that are to be maintained by the Foundation.

According to Carmen Linda Atayde, SM Foundation, Inc. Executive Director for Education, with the donation, SMFI aims to help decongest heavily populated public schools. Thus, students are assured of classrooms more conducive to learning. For good education can help unlock the hidden intelligence in every young mind and prepare them to be globally competitive citizens.