Maybe it's not such a problem. For example, I've been using Perl for about five months now and consider that I write code that is good enough to get worth while jobs done. In fact I was writing usefull code in just a few weeks, although I had a lot to learn (and still do). The point is that with good background knowledge and experience, a specific area of knowledge can be picked up sufficiently quickly to get usefull work done.

The issue is more one of advocacy for Perl so that there is an awareness and a body of interest. As others have pointed out, it is not the job of Universities to teach languages so much as to teach technique and understanding. I think the monks are as important in engendering awareness and interest in Perl as any other body.