For the government, the expense of five million pesetas is not unacceptable. By offering a free dinner to attract more participants in literacy education, the ultimate beneficiary is the Spanish government.
Even if the number of participants doubles, it would not be a significant burden on the government. The current global environment is tending towards peace, making it possible to purchase grain from major grain-producing countries and transform it into relatively inexpensive food to offer to the people.
Nowadays, food safety is not scrutinized as strictly; as long as the food's appearance is passable and it can satiate the people, they will naturally be satisfied.
While it's just a rather simple dinner, certainly many Spaniards seeking to save money would accept literacy education in order to save on dinner expenses.
After all, literacy education doesn't cost money, and exchanging two hours of learning for a free dinner, most people will likely accept.
