Wow what a long list of idiotic assumptions built into bad sarcasm all having no basis in the passage quoted. Just because somebody didn’t learn Linux in high school doesn’t mean they’ll never learn it or can’t program it. I’m in a generations programmers who didn’t learn Linux in high school, BECAUSE THEY ALL GRADUATED IN THE 80S, and they seem to be programming just fine, many are even making apps for Linux.
There are certainly a lot of self-taught programmers, or programmers who didn’t get started until college. Just not enough of them. Have you looked at the H1B visa numbers lately?
I’m not suggesting that programming should be part of the curriculum for everyone, and I don’t share the OP’s dedication to Linux as the only way to teach programming. But it ought to be available as an option (and as part of a profession-focused education that does not require a four-year degree, but that’s another subject).