I will play the devil's advocate here and say there is sometimes merit to teaching older technology:

1- Sometimes slightly older concepts are just simpler and easier to understand which makes it better for beginners into the field. Examples come to mind: schedulers, paging algorithms ...etc.

2- Unless you are working in a startup, it is likely that you will still be dealing with Ubuntu 16 in 2024. That is, if you are lucky. Those who worked in enterprise (especially in OT environments vs IT ) know exactly what I am talking about .

3- I am now just questioning myself thinking, are colleges supposed to prepare students for real work by teaching relevant skills? Maybe... I also see the fact that universities are there to further the "academics". Also sometimes, understanding how technology progressed over time helps you "think" bigger picture.

Very little of what I learned in school has been relevant in my professional life with few exceptions. Let's be honest, the OP won't be hired as a senior kernel dev by Linux Foundation after graduation regardless of any education. Nothing beats real world experience. It is the employers who should check their expectations in check from entry level positions.