Tahar Ben Lakhdar, known as “the academic militant,” has played a pivotal role in reforming Tunisia’s higher education for nearly four decades. A prominent figure in public education, he is the founder of Tunisia’s first public engineering institutions and of ESPRIT, a leading private engineering school dedicated to accessible, high-quality education for underprivileged youth. Born in a remote, colonized village in Tunisia, Ben Lakhdar pursued his education with excellence, eventually earning a Ph.D. in Physics from University Paris XIII in 1978.

In 2003, he established ESPRIT, which has grown from 40 students to over 5,500 under his leadership. He pioneered a student-centered approach that equips engineering graduates with the practical skills demanded by the evolving job market.

ESPRIT became the first Tunisian institution accredited by the French Commission des Titres d’Ingénieurs, and he later founded the ESPRIT Foundation to support talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Before founding ESPRIT, Ben Lakhdar was instrumental in creating Tunisia’s ISET network, the first higher institute of technology, and IPEIN, the first preparatory institute for engineering. He also restructured the Tunisian School of Posts and Telecommunications, now Sup’Com. His contributions as a consultant to Tunisian ministries and international agencies reflect his commitment to educational reform and vocational training.