Yogyakarta (Jurnal Nasional, 21 September 2007): State High School SMAN 1 Pundong from Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, used to be far from modern. Not only was it located at a remote area far from the city, it was not even well-equipped with learning facilities to qualify as a quality school.

Moreover, the school was badly devastated when the May 2006 earthquake hit. The physical building, resources and facilities could no longer qualify as a school. 

"The study process was halted for a while. When we started school again, we could no longer use the classrooms, but we studied under the tents erected on the school yard. We endured in that condition for about one semester," Mudasir, the school's Vice Principal of Public Relations, told Jurnal Nasional.  

But now the 'rural' image has faded away. The school still remains on the same site, but the supporting facilities are now on par with those in town, even comparable with the plus schools. The school which accommodates 463 students now has something to be proud of—it has a biology lab, chemistry lab, physics lab, language lab and a collection of 10.000 books in its library.

This former 'rural' school is being supported by Sampoerna Foundation United Schools Program (SF USP), which aims to upgrade the school's quality to simulate that of national plus schools, with a much cheaper school fee. The foundation partners with various parties to provide the program for SMA Negeri 1 Pundong, such as: PT HM Sampoerna which supports the USP program in school, and PT ACE INA which provides learning facilities in school.

"The underlying principle in this program is partnership and development. The partnership is to raise school quality without raising the school fee," said Yosafat Erie Setianto, Putera Sampoerna Foundation's (PSF) Outreach Officer, while observing around the school, Tuesday (18/9). SF USP has adopted 17 state high schools across the region, such as: SMAN 2 Sekayu (South Sumatera), SMAN 5 Bukittinggi (West Sumatera), SMAN 2 Balikpapan, SMAN 3 Depok (West Java), SMAN 11 Bandung (West Java), SMAN 4 Denpasar, SMAN 12 Makassar, and SMAN 7 Manado. Aside from those, the foundation partners with Exxon-Mobil Oil Indonesia to fund USP programs in SMAN 1 Syamtalira Aron, SMAN 1 Matangkuli, and SMAN 1 Tanah Luas, all located in North Aceh.

The other 6 schools in East Java and Yogyakarta are supported by PT HM Sampoerna: SMAN 1 Pandaan (Pasuruan), SMAN 10 Malang, SMAN 13 Surabaya, SMAN 19 Surabaya, SMAN 20 Surabaya, and SMAN 1 Pundong.