I think it all comes down to money, but not profit necessarily.
Flying has become so expensive that instructors are under pressure to get students through in the absolute minimum of hours, and then PPLs are often flying far less hours than would allow them to become genuinely experienced and current.
Has flying become more expensive? I did my PPL in 1978/79 at a total cost of about £1,100, including 45 hours in C150s, all groundschool, and books (Flight Briefing for Pilots!). To do it today would cost, maybe £6,000. That's probably cheaper in real terms.
SSD