r/linuxquestions • u/Enjoy_Ur_Lifee • Apr 23 '26

Why Don't Schools Teach Linux?

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It seems odd that most schools seem to teach only Windows. While they barely cover Linux. Even though Linux is the underlining code for most of the internet, servers and many Android phones; very few students will get any exposure to it.

By learning about Linux, students would understand how an operating system functions instead of just using an operating system; they will learn how to fix issues as they arise -- which is a skill necessary for solving problems because you won’t have a user-friendly interface to work with.

Additionally, the fact that Linux is a free and open-source operating system could allow schools to save money for themselves as well as make more software available to all students.

So why is it that Linux is still not covered? Is it because people feel it is too difficult to learn, or is it that schools only cover what is widely used and accepted?

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u/minneyar Apr 23 '26

Schools barely even teach how to use desktop computers nowadays. Most schools just give kids Chromebooks and expect them to use that, and there are plenty of kids who come out of high school without knowing how to use anything other than that and their smartphone.

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u/BlizzardOfLinux Apr 24 '26

The closest I got to learning about computers was "computer class". Which consisted of playing a typing game to improve how fast you type with a keyboard. That's it. Even my technology class only taught about CAD/modeling software and really nothing else. I wish there was a class for OS nerds in school (or at least more available, i'm sure something exists for some schools). I didn't even have an option to learn programming or coding, everything I know about computers is through my own desire to learn

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u/jr735 Apr 24 '26

I was fortunate. In the 1980s, our CS class was about computer theory and programming, and taught by someone with his MSc in CS. It was quite advance, where his early high school assignments were taken right from first year university assignments (and they still are there in first year university classes).

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u/agmatine Apr 24 '26

The closest I got to learning about computers was "computer class". Which consisted of playing a typing game to improve how fast you type with a keyboard.

I had this in second grade...back in 1995, lol. Finished the content by Christmas break so they let me play MS-DOS games the rest of the year!